Disorders of Fluency: Stuttering and Cluttering

A comprehensive vocabulary review of Chapter 6 covering the definitions, characteristics, assessment criteria, theoretical perspectives, and treatment modalities for stuttering, cluttering, and related fluency disorders.

Stuttering-like Dysfluencies

Speech disruptions characterized by repetitions of sounds, syllables, and monosyllabic words, as well as sound prolongations.

Predictable Loci of Stuttering

Speech patterns where stuttering typically occurs, including initial sounds and words, consonants, longer and unfamiliar words, content words in older children and adults, and function words in younger children.

Stuttering Diagnostic Criterion Threshold

The clinical standard where stuttering is diagnosed and treatment is recommended if the dysfluency rate is $5\%$ or more of the words spoken.

Natural Recovery Rate of Stuttering

The proportion of children who recover spontaneously without therapy, reported in literature to range between a low of $45\%$ and a high of $90\%$.

Familial Incidence of Stuttering

Epidemiological findings showing that familial incidence is higher than in the general population, sons of stuttering mothers run a greater risk than sons of stuttering fathers, and blood relatives of a stuttering woman face a greater risk than those of a stuttering man.

Fluent Stuttering Method

A treatment approach that aims for less abnormal stuttering rather than complete fluency, incorporating desensitization, discussion of feelings and attitudes, and modification techniques such as cancellations and pull-outs.

Fluency Shaping Method

A treatment approach focused on establishing fluent speech by systematically teaching airflow management, gentle phonatory onset, and a reduced rate of speech.

Direct Stuttering Reduction Techniques

Behavioral procedures designed to directly reduce stuttering instances, specifically including pause-and-talk (time-out) and response cost.

Response Cost

A direct stuttering reduction procedure in which a tangible reinforcer or token is withdrawn contingent upon the occurrence of a stuttering dysfluency.

Neurogenic Stuttering

A fluency disorder associated with neurological disorders or diseases, which may be transient or persistent and is characterized by features such as the presence of dysfluencies in imitated speech.

Cluttering

A fluency disorder characterized by rapid but disordered articulation, prosodic abnormalities, reduced speech intelligibility, spoonerisms, and often a lack of anxiety or concern about one's speech.

Treatment of Cluttering

Intervention focusing on reducing the client's rate of speech and increasing speech self-awareness through the use of audio or video recordings.

Malingered Stuttering

An atypical, feigned manifestation of stuttering consciously produced for secondary gain, such as routinely excusing oneself from responsibilities like oral presentations.

Psychogenic Stuttering

An atypical form of stuttering associated with psychiatric connotations or psychological etiologies.

Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF)

An instrumental procedure that plays back speech with a slight time delay, useful as a treatment technique for both stuttering and cluttering.

Associated Motor Behaviors

Extraneous physical actions and breathing abnormalities that tend to develop over time alongside negative emotions and avoidance behaviors in individuals who stutter.

Stuttering Loci in Preschool Children

The grammatical category on which early childhood stuttering is most likely to occur, specifically on function words.

Onset of Stuttering

The beginning of stuttering in early childhood as an initial increase in dysfluency, which parents generally report as being associated with nothing unusual.

Etiological Theories of Stuttering

Proposed frameworks including genetic, neurophysiological, psychological, learning-based, and mismatch theories, none of which are fully supported by experimental evidence.

Personality Profile of People Who Stutter

Research consensus showing that people who stutter do not possess unique personality traits, distinct temperaments, or specific anxiety disorders that explain their stuttering.