Fluency and Stuttering

 Symptoms: 
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• ​Repetition of sounds, syllables, or words.
• Loss of air, or a “block,” for a few seconds before speaking.
• Prolongation of sounds in words.
• Considerable effort and tension when speaking.
• Addition of sounds and/or changing of words to “get started”.
• Frequent use of fillers such as “um” and “uh”.  
• Greater dysfluency when topic is unfamiliar, or language is complex.
• Greater dysfluency due to environmental factors such as unfamiliar listeners, excitement, or fatigue.

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​Treatment: 
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A speech language pathologist can distinguish between stuttering and normal periods of dysfluency that many children experience as they learn to speak.  A speech language pathologist can teach your child how to speak in a slow and relaxed style and how to recognize and modify negative attitudes about their stuttering.  Family members can learn effective ways to model speaking styles and ways to best facilitate a fluent speaking environment.