Fluency

(Stuttering)

This refers to children who display disruption in the maintenance of speech flow.

Dysfluency can:

Inhibit participation in class and extracurricular activities
Affect peer relationships
May affect vocational/career choices despite the individuals competency levels in non-speech areas

The following are some of the more common characteristics of dysfluency.

If a child presents any of the 7 following behaviors they may be dysfluent:

Repetitions-	Producing sound, syllable, word, or phrase several times.	"What ta-ta-ta-ta-time is it?"
Prolongations-	Lengthening of a sound.	"L-l-l-l-let me do it."
Interjections-	Adding fillers such as “un” or “er”	"I had a -well you know- problem this morning."
Silent Pauses-	Pausing in the middle of a thought.	"I was going to the ______________ store."
Broken words/Hesitation-	Disrupting the flow of a sound or word.	"It was won________derful."
Incomplete Phrases-	Using incomplete phrasing rather than complete sentences.	"I don't know how to..... lets go guys.......I want to........"
Circumlocution/Revisions-	Reformulating a thought or idea and using different words other than those originally planned in an attempt to avoid feared words.	"I thought I would send a letter........card...."
Abnormal Rate-	Using extremely slow or fast rate	Number of syllables or words per minute abnormally slow or fast.
Tension-	Tightening of musculature in preparation for speaking or during act of speaking.
Associated non-vocal behaviors-	Using secondary mannerisms to aid fluency of speech.	Eye blinks, mouth postures, head jerks, etc.