Fluency refers to how “fluently” a person speaks without stuttering or cluttering interruptions in their speech. Stuttering occurs when disfluencies disrupt the forward flow of speech. It typically begins during childhood and commonly occurs between the ages of 2-5 while a child’s language development is rapid. This type of stuttering may be developmental, and children can “grow” out of it. In other instances, stuttering may continue into adulthood. Some people have secondary characteristics that accompany their stutter, such as eye blinking, jaw tension, and head movements. Cluttering occurs when a person’s speech is rapid and unclear, lacking appropriate pauses between words. This makes understanding difficult for listeners. A fluency disorder may be present if:

• Sounds are repeated, like “m-m-m-mommy”
• Words and/or parts of words are repeated, like “do-do-do you want to play?”
• Sounds are prolonged, like “mmmmove over”
• Speaking situations are avoided or cause anxiety
• Sentences are spoken rapidly