Fluency is the ability to smoothly produce speech sounds, syllables, phrases, words, and sentences. Stuttering is a disruption in the flow of speech, and makes it difficult for an individual to say what they want to say.
You may hear or see an individual:
- repeating sounds, syllables or words
- prolonging sounds
- stopping a sound (blocking)
- struggling to get words out
- avoiding talking or showing signs of anxiety or frustration around talking
- having interjections with repeated or prolonged sounds
- exhibiting physical signs of effort when speaking.
Stuttering often begins between ages two and five years, and some children this age will experience normal non-fluency which will disappear without intervention.
