What Is A Fluency Disorder?
A fluency disorder is a speech disorder in which the normal flow of speech is disrupted by frequent repetitions or prolongations of speech sounds, syllables, or words or by an individual's inability to start a word. The speech disruptions may be accompanied by rapid eye blinks, tremors of the lips and/or jaw or other struggle behaviors that a person who stutters may use in an attempt to speak. Certain situations, such as speaking before a large group of people or talking on the telephone, tend to make stuttering more severe, whereas other situations, such as singing or speaking alone, often improve stuttering.

Who Has A Fluency Disorder?

• It is estimated that over three million Americans stutter.
• Stuttering affects individuals of all ages but occurs most frequently in young children between the ages of two and six who are developing language.
• Boys are three times more likely to stutter than girls.
• Stuttering becomes an increasingly formidable problem in the teen years as dating and social interactions begin.

What Causes A Fluency Disorder?
Despite decades of research, there are no clear-cut answers to questions about the causes of stuttering, but experts have learned much about the factors that contribute to its development including: genetics, neurophysiology, child development, and family dynamics.

How Is A Fluency Disorder Treated?
There are a variety of treatments available for stuttering; however, there are no instant miracle cures for stuttering. A qualified speech-language pathologist can help children, young adults, and adults make significant progress towards fluency. Fluency therapy may help prevent developmental stuttering from becoming a life-long problem. Many of the currently popular therapy programs for persistent stuttering focus on releaming how to speak or unlearning faulty ways of speaking. The psychological side effects of stuttering that often occur, such as fear of speaking to strangers or talking on the phone, are also addressed in most of these programs.