What Is Fluency Disorder?
Fluency in speech is the continuity, smoothness, and effortlessness in speech production. Almost every speaker faces some discontinuity while speaking using fillers (“like” or “uh”), which are normal and are called typical disfluencies or nonfluencies.
A fluency disorder is when you have trouble speaking in a flowing way. There may be some disfluencies when you speak, but for these patients, there will be many disfluencies. Common fluency disorders are stuttering and cluttering.
What Is Stuttering?
Stuttering, also known as stammering or childhood-onset fluency disorder, is a condition when the person has frequent and significant problems with fluency while speaking. They tend to repeat or prolong a particular word or syllable or may take a pause when they find difficulty in saying some words.
Stuttering is common in children when they learn to speak, and it is normal. It is part of learning the skill. This stuttering usually goes off once the child grows, and in some cases, this stuttering persists as a chronic condition and will be present in their adulthood too. Such people will have problems socializing and low self-esteem.
What Is Cluttering?
Cluttering is a fluency disorder that involves speech that is rapid, unclear, or disorganized.
These people seem to speak at a faster pace than a normal person speaks and seem to be unsure of what they want to speak.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Fluency Disorders?
The signs and symptoms of fluency disorder will vary from person to person and will depend upon the disorder the person is having. This disorder affects the flow, quality, and rhythm of speech. The person may not be able to speak confidently in public as they find it difficult to convey what they are trying to say without any interference. When you stutter, you sound to interrupt what you are saying. You may repeat a part or all of the words you said or drag the syllables or talk breathlessly, or may seem to be tense and speaking.
The following are the signs and symptoms seen in people with fluency disorder:
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Repeating a part or whole word.
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Prolongation of consonants.
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Getting blocked while trying to speak.
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Excess tension and struggle when trying to speak.
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Excessive coarticulation results in the clashing or deletion of syllables or word endings.
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Pause while speaking, which is not syntactic.
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Irregular speech rate.
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Anxious when asked to speak. The anxiety is more when they are speaking with a stranger.
People with stuttering or cluttering will also have accessory or secondary behaviors. This is the method adopted by the patient knowingly or unknowingly to cover up the disfluency while speaking. These behaviors can include:
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Pretending to cough or yawn to cover up stuttering.
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Avoid certain words that can cause stuttering.
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Rearranging the words in the sentence.
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Excessive use of fillers so as to make the rate of speech normal.
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Pretending to forget what you want to say.
What Are the Causes of Fluency Disorders?
The exact cause of the fluency disorder is unknown.
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It may be genetic or may be acquired from childhood.
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Some studies also show that it can be caused due to abnormalities in speech-motor control, such as timing and sensory and motor coordination.
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It can happen at the same time, along with another speech disorder.
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It may also be caused due to conditions like stroke, brain injury, or brain tumor.
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Disfluency while speaking can also happen in a normal situation when they feel nervous or are under pressure.
The signs of fluency disorders are worse when it is accompanied by stress and anxiety.
How Does Fluency Disorder Affect the Patient?
Apart from the difficulty in speaking, this condition also has other effects on the patient, such as:
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Increased social anxiety.
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Shame and guilt.
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Isolation from others.
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Having negative thoughts and feelings about his own ability to communicate.
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Low self-confidence.
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Suicidal thoughts.
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Perceived negative thoughts on social or romantic relationships.
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Perceived communication and job barriers.
How Is Fluency Disorder Diagnosed?
A fluency disorder is initially noted by the parents during the developing age when they notice that the child has excessive struggles or stuttering while trying to speak. This should be brought to the notice of a speech-language pathologist who will confirm what type of fluency disorder the child is having. The speech-language pathologist may do an oral mechanism examination and testing of speech-language skills.
How Is a Fluency Disorder Treated?
After arriving at a diagnosis by a speech-language pathologist, the treatment that is required is decided. The treatment will vary from person to person. Even though the treatment cannot cure this condition, it will help the patient cope with this condition and lead a better life. The treatment involves a combination of exercises and other activities which will help you speak better. These methods will help you reduce the number of disfluencies when you speak.
A speech-language pathologist also works on the other impacts this condition has on the patients, like the negative thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about their speech. He will guide the patient to avoid the usage of other accessories or secondary behaviors associated with this condition. Also, they will teach how to speak in shorter sentences, control breath while speaking, and also the speed of the speech.
What to Do When Living With a Patient With Fluency Disorder?
If you know someone who has a fluency disorder:
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Be Patient and Supportive: Be patient while a person who has some fluency disorder is trying to speak, and instead of breaking them in between while they speak, support and encourage them to complete what they were trying to say.
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Be Compassionate: Try to understand and think from their position and never make fun of how they speak, as it can affect them emotionally.
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Join a Support Group: Try making a group for people who have fluency disorder as they get to meet other people who have the same condition, and it may help them to manage this mentally.
Conclusion
A fluency disorder is when the person finds difficulty in speaking fluently without any hindrance. This condition is not completely curable, but a person who has a fluency disorder can be taught how to overcome this condition and lead a better life. When a parent observes any abnormality in speaking while the child is in his growing age, get a consultation with a doctor, who will assist in the diagnosis and can guide you in the following steps. Early intervention helps the child to overcome or cope with the condition better than adult patients.
