The term “stutter” is terribly outdated and oftentimes negatively viewed, rather I like the term “dysfluent speech.” It is important to remember that we all have moments of dysfluent speech, that doesn’t necessarily mean we all need speech-language therapy to address it. The line that we draw to determine if therapy is recommended is the impact the dysfluent moment have on one’s life, the severity/ frequency/duration of dysfluent moments, and the accompanying tension with the dysfluent moments.
Some of the most common types of dysfluent speech include:
Some of the most common types of dysfluent speech include:
- Single word repetition (e.g. “I I I I I want a hamburger.”)
- Phrase repetition (e.g.,” I want a ham-ham-hamburger.”)
- Blocking (e.g., “I want a ham (pause) burger.”)
- Prolongation (e.g., “I want a hammmmmmmburger.”)
- Avoidance (avoiding saying word/s because the speaker anticipates a dysfluent moment)
- Fillers (inserting words/sounds to offer the speaker more time to prepare for what they are saying; "like, "uh", "and".)
Many famous and successful people have had Fluency Disorders like; George Washington, Tiger Woods, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, King George VI, Ed Sheeran, Joe Biden, Kendrick Lamar, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Shquille O’Neal, Charles Darwin, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Winston Churchill.
What can you do to help?
- Be patient, don’t rush someone who has a dysfluent moment.
- Don’t finish his/her sentences for them.
- Be mindful of your body language and the messages you are sending him/her.
- Don’t tell them to “take a breath” or “calm down.”
If you have concerns about your child’s dysfluent moments talk about it with your pediatrician or give us a call to see if we can help!
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