Cluttering is a
speech and
communication disorder characterized by a rapid rate of speech, erratic rhythm, and poor
syntax
In linguistics, syntax () is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure ( constituenc ...
or grammar, making speech difficult to understand.
Classification
Cluttering is a
speech and
communication disorder that has also been described as a
fluency
Fluency (also called volubility and eloquency) is the property of a person or of a system that delivers information quickly and with expertise.
Language use
Language fluency is one of a variety of terms used to characterize or measure a person ...
disorder.
It is defined as:
Signs and symptoms
Stuttering
Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the ...
is often misapplied as a common term referring to any dysfluency. It is also often incorrectly applied to normal dysfluency rather than dysfluency from a disorder. Cluttered speech is exhibited by normal speakers, and is often referred to as stuttering. This is especially true when the speaker is nervous, where nervous speech more closely resembles cluttering than stuttering.
Cluttering is sometimes confused with stuttering. Both communication disorders break the normal flow of speech, but they are distinct. A stutterer has a coherent pattern of thoughts, but may have a difficult time vocally expressing those thoughts; in contrast, a clutterer has no problem putting thoughts into words, but those thoughts become disorganized during speaking. Cluttering affects not only speech, but also thought patterns, writing, typing, and conversation.
Stutterers are usually dysfluent on initial sounds, when beginning to speak, and become more fluent towards the ends of utterances. In contrast, clutterers are most clear at the start of utterances, but their speaking rate increases and intelligibility decreases towards the end of utterances.
Stuttering is characterized by struggle behavior, such as overtense speech production muscles. Cluttering, in contrast, is effortless. Cluttering is also characterized by
slurred speech, especially dropped or distorted /r/ and /l/ sounds; and monotone speech that starts loud and trails off into a murmur.
A clutterer described the feeling associated with a clutter as:
Differential diagnosis
Cluttering can often be confused with various
language disorders,
learning disabilities, and
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...
(ADHD). Clutterers often have
reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...
and writing disabilities, especially sprawling, disorderly handwriting, which poorly integrate ideas and space.
Treatment
The common goals of treatment for cluttering include slowing the rate of speech, heightening monitoring, using clear articulation, using acceptable and organized language, interacting with listeners, speaking naturally, and reducing excessive disfluencies.
Slowing the rate of speech can help many of the symptoms of cluttering, and can be achieved in a couple of different ways, though it is very important that speech language pathologists do not nag their clients to "slow down" incessantly, as this does not help and can actually hinder progress. Additionally, it is important to remember that speech rate often increases when emotional arousal or stress increases. Instead of constant verbal reminders, clinicians may use a combination of
Delayed auditory feedback (DAF), giving out "speeding tickets" (written reminders to slow down speech), or recording speech and having clients transcribe it, writing in where there is need for spaces and pauses.
Many people who clutter are either unable or unwilling to think about their speech, particularly in casual speech. The strategies to slow speech down all require careful monitoring of speech, which can be very difficult for those who clutter. Imagination and careful observation are used to increase monitoring. For instance, an adult who clutters may be asked to visualize themselves speaking slowly and clearly before they actually speak. Additionally, video and audio recordings may be used to show those who clutter where communication starts to break down in their speech.
In general, slowing the rate of speech and/or monitoring speech more effectively should lead to clearer articulation. However, if they do not, additional treatment is needed. These articulation treatment strategies include practicing short sentences with "over-articulated", unnatural but technically correct, speech. Reading multisyllabic words and focusing on including each of the sounds is another strategy to enhance articulation.
Some individuals who clutter will need help learning to tell stories logically and sequentially. This can be aided by learning how to begin narratives with simple, short sentences, and slowly building to longer, more complex ones. Additionally, clinicians may transcribe cluttered speech to clients to show them run-ons and ramblings, and then ask them to just state the necessary, most important information in the utterance.
Additional strategies that may help people who clutter include checking in, ensuring that they've understood any non-verbal or turn-taking cues in the conversation, imitating clinician models of speech to improve natural speech, and treating any stuttering that may be co-occurring with cluttering. The two are separate disorders, but many people who clutter also stutter.
History
Battaros was a legendary
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
n king who spoke quickly and in a disorderly fashion. Others who spoke as he did were said to have ''battarismus''. This is the earliest record of the speech disorder of cluttering.
In the 1960s, cluttering was called ''tachyphemia'', a word derived from the Greek for "fast speech". This word is no longer used to describe cluttering because fast speech is not a required element of cluttering.
Deso Weiss described cluttering as the outward manifestation of a "central language imbalance".
The First World Conference on Cluttering was held in May 2007 in
Razlog,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
. It had over 60 participants from North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Society and culture
Weiss claimed that Battaros,
Demosthenes
Demosthenes (; el, Δημοσθένης, translit=Dēmosthénēs; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual pr ...
,
Pericles,
Justinian
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renova ...
,
Otto von Bismarck, and
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
were clutterers. He says about these people, "Each of these contributors to
world history viewed his world holistically, and was not deflected by exaggerated attention to small details. Perhaps then, they excelled because of, rather than in spite of, their
luttering"
See also
*
Voice disorders
*
Developmental verbal dyspraxia
References
Sources
* Studies in Tachyphemia, An Investigation of Cluttering and General Language Disability. Speech Rehabilitation Institute. New York, 1963.
* Myers, F. and K. St. Louis, (1992) Cluttering: A Clinical Perspective, Leicester, England: Far Communications
External links
Too fast for words: Easy explanations and tips for treatment and copingCluttering: Some GuidelinesInternational Cluttering Association page
{{Authority control
Communication disorders
Sociolinguistics
Human voice
Oral communication
Human communication
Speech disorders
Medical terminology
Speech and language pathology
Dyslexia