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fluency

Page history last edited by katy.oubs@... 10 years, 5 months ago

Fluency (aka stuttering)

 

Fluency can be thought of simply as a speaker's effortless flow of speech.

  • Stuttering/Dysfluency is the condition in which the flow of speech is broken by abnormal blocks (no sound), repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolongations (ssssstuttering) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak.
  • Cause: We still do not know for a fact what causes stuttering.  It may have different causes in different people, or it may only occur when a combination of factors comes together.  Possible influences include incoordination of the speech muscles; rate of language development; the way parents and others talk to the child; and other forms of communication and life stress.
  • Assessment includes:
    • Frequency of prolongations, repetitions, blocks
    • Secondary characteristics - physical behaviors, avoidance, frustration
    • Rate of speech
    • Effect on communication / education

 

 

Red Flags/Primary Characteristics
Your child may have a stuttering problem if he/she:
  • repeats syllables or whole words (ex. t t test)
  • Uses interjections – he/she uses too many fillers (ex. um, uh,)
  • sometimes drags out the sounds in words (ex. s---un, baaall)
  • is aware of a stuttering problem 
  • hesitates on words
  • shows additional signs of struggle (ex. eye blinks, tapping finger/feet, poor eye contact, facial grimaces) 

 

Traditional therapy approach includes:

  • Relaxation
  • Breathing techniques
  • Using easy onset of speech
  • Using slow, stretched rates

 

 

Tips for Parents 

  • Do not interrupt/rush/criticize when your child is speaking
  • Do not finish his/her sentence
  • Model slow easy speech
  • Do not force him/her to speak in stressful situations

 

 

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