Fluency Disorders

Fluency is the aspect of speech production that refers to continuity, smoothness, rate, and effort. Stuttering, the most common fluency disorder, is an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by repetitions (sounds, syllables, words, phrases), sound prolongations, blocks, interjections, and revisions, which may affect the rate and rhythm of speech. These disfluencies may be accompanied by physical tension, negative reactions, secondary behaviors, and avoidance of sounds, words, or speaking situations (ASHA, 1993; Yaruss, 1998; Yaruss, 2004). Cluttering, another fluency disorder, is characterized by a perceived rapid and/or irregular speech rate, which results in breakdowns in speech clarity and/or fluency (St. Louis & Schulte, 2011).

Fluency disorders can have a significant effect on a child’s ability to communicate effectively and ,often times , can have a negative impact on a child’s self confidence and willingness to speak with his peers. Our speech-language pathologists are skilled and compassionate in the diagnosis and treatment of fluency disorders. We strive to increase every child’s confidence in his ability to communicate effectively!