No-one speaks with perfect fluency. To some degree, we all:
- repeat words (“No, no, I don’t want that.”);
- repeat phrases (“The only reason…the only reason”);
- use interjections (“um”, “er”, “like”);
- re-start and revise sentences (The only – I’m only going to go if I get to drive”); and
- leave words and sentences unfinished (“I went to Bunnings and…Let me tell you about…wait…Are you?”)
These are called “normal” or “typical” disfluencies because they happen to everyone.
People who clutter exhibit predominantly normal disfluencies. One study showed that children who clutter had 7.6 times more normal disfluencies compared to “atypical” disfluencies when they retold a story (van Zaalen et al., 2009).
“Atypical” disfluencies include:
- sound repetitions (“s-s-s-so”);
- syllable repetitions (“be-be-be-be-because”);
- prolongations (“Aaaaaaaaaaaaand”); and
- blocks (where the person tensely pauses while trying to speak but no sound comes out).
“Atypical disfluencies” are most commonly associated with stuttering.
Primary source: Myers, Bakker, K., St. Louis, K.O., Raphael, L.J. (2012). Disfluencies in cluttered speech. Journal of Fluency Disorders 37, 9-19.
Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.
Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language
Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.
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