The disorder is characterized by disturbances in normal fluency and time patterning of speech that are inappropriate for the individual’s age and language skills, persist over time, and are characterized by frequent and marked occurrences of the following symptoms:
- Sound and syllable repetitions
- Sound prolongations of consonants and vowels
- Broken words (pauses within a word)
- Audible or silent blocking (filled or unfilled pauses in speech)
- Circumlocutions (word substitutions to avoid problematic words)
- Words produced with an excess of physical tension
- Monosyllabic whole-word repetitions (e.g., “I-I-I-I see him”)
These disturbances cause anxiety about speaking or limitations in effective communication, social participation, or academic performance. Children who stutter may also exhibit secondary, or avoidance, behaviors that may impact their fluent communication. These may include:
- Distracting sounds (e.g., throat clearing, insertion of unintended sound)
- Facial grimaces (e.g., eye blinking, jaw tightening)
- Reduced verbal output due to speaking avoidance
- Head or body movements (e.g., head nodding, leg tapping, fist clenching)
- Avoidance of social situations
- Fillers to mask moments of stuttering