Cluttering

What is Cluttering?

Cluttering is different to stammering although they both affect fluency and can occur together or separately.

People who clutter talk at a fast and often irregular rate with rapid bursts of speech. Sometimes sounds and syllables in words are missed out (e.g. saying ‘comcation’ for ‘communication’ or ‘incrible’ for ‘incredible’) and words may run into each other and sound unclear/mumbled. They may also pause in unusual places, use lots of filler words (like ‘er’, ‘um’) and repeat or revise words/phrases. This can affect the rhythm/flow of speech.

Some people who clutter can have difficulty organising their thoughts and structuring what they’re saying, and they may interrupt others or struggle to keep to the point. Cluttering often occurs alongside specific learning needs such as dyslexia and dysgraphia as well as sometimes with ADHD or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

People who clutter can be hard to understand and they’re not always aware of this and can find it hard to slow down or adjust their communication if prompted. It may be others around them (such as family, teachers, managers, colleagues) who suggest that they could be helped by Speech Therapy.