Fluency disorders involve disruptions in the normal flow of speech by frequent repetitions or prolongations of sounds, syllables, and words. They may also be characterized by the inability to start a word. These disruptions may be accompanied by secondary behaviors, such as rapid blinks, tremors of the lips/jaws, or other struggle behaviors. Certain situations will also affect the fluency of the speech of people with these disorders. Talking on the phone or speaking before a large group of people might make the disfluencies worse, while speaking alone or singing might improve the disfluencies. Stuttering is the most commonly seen fluency disorder.

Here are some websites with more information and activities to work on if your child exhibits a fluency disorder.

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering.htm
http://www.nsastutter.org/
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/
http://www.k12academics.com/disorders-disabilities/stuttering
http://www.friendswhostutter.org/ (online support for kids who stutter)
http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/kids/awareness.html (Stuttering Awareness Game)