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Fluency Disorders (Stuttering)
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Fluency disorders are
speech disorders characterized by excessive amounts of
dysfluencies or excessive duration of dysfluencies or both,
and speech that is produced with excessive amounts of
struggle and effort. Stuttering is characterized by an
abnormally high frequency and/or duration of stoppages in
the forward flow of speech. Prevalence studies indicate that stuttering occurs in
approximately 1-1.5% of the population, with males
outnumbering females. The onset of stuttering usually occurs
between 2 and 5 years of age and may emerge in a sudden or
severe manner. Some researchers report that approximately
80% of children who stutter will spontaneously recover by
the age of puberty. However, more recent studies suggest
that children's rate of recovery without treatment is much
lower. Many theories have been proposed regarding the cause
of stuttering. It is probable that a combination of factors
(i.e., neurological, psychological, social, and linguistic)
impact the onset and development of fluency disorders. The NAU Clinic offers
services in evaluation of fluency disorders. The evaluation
may include assessment of fluency, rate, respiratory
patterns, and primary and secondary dysfluency behaviors.
Primary, or core, behaviors may include repetitions of
sounds, syllables, or whole words; prolongations of single
sounds; or blocks of airflow or voicing during speech.
Secondary behaviors develop over time as learned reactions
to the core behaviors and are categorized as avoidance
behaviors. They may include hesitations, interjections of
sounds, syllables, or words; revisions/repetitions of words;
or motor movements associated with dysfluencies. Regardless of theoretical orientation, the ultimate aim
of all stuttering therapy programs is spontaneous fluency.
Fluency can be described as consisting of four primary
components: rate, continuity, rhythm, and effort.
Spontaneous fluent speech is smooth, relatively rapid,
melodic, and appears free of conscious physical or mental
effort. Therapy services are offered for individuals and
groups and may include management of breathing and laryngeal
tension, training on fluency-enhancing strategies.
Fluency Services at the NAU Speech,
Language, and Hearing ClinicWeb-links - Fluency Disorders
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