Fluency:
Inappropriate rate and time patterning of speech at least five percent of the time, characterized by any of the following: sound and syllable repetitions, sound prolongations, audible or silent blocking, interjections, broken words, circumlocutions, or words produced with an excess of tension and accompanied by ancillary movements that are indicative of stress or struggle. A student exhibiting normal non-fluencies occurring during the developmental speech stage does not meet this criterion. There is documented evidence that the impairment significantly interferes with the student's educational performance or significantly interferes with the student's developmental functioning to a degree inappropriate for his or her cultural and social background or overall developmental level.
Warning Signs:
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,)
- He/she sometimes drags out the sounds in words (ex. s---un, baaall)
- He/she is aware of a stuttering problem
- He/she hesitates on words
- He/she shows additional signs of struggle (ex. eye blinks, tapping finger/feet, poor eye contact, facial grimaces)