You may have heard of stuttering, but have you ever heard of cluttering?
Both are fluency disorders. Cluttering is the less common relative of stuttering.
Fluency disorders are characterized by a disruption in the flow of speech, which can manifest in different ways.
You might be wondering, why such an interest in cluttering?
Well, let's get started with two different cases that sparked an interest in the similarities and differences between the two, as well as a deep dive into the characteristics of cluttering. Let's call them Jack and Jill, twins who presented with different fluency challenges. It turned out that Jack was stuttering, and Jill was cluttering.

The Case of Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill are five-year-old twins who light up every room they enter. They share the same golden-brown eyes, infectious giggle, and adventurous spirit. Jack and Jill have many similarities, but when it comes to communication their journeys have taken two distinct paths.
Jack is the quieter of the two. His parents noticed that when he started school, his speech changed. He began to get stuck on certain sounds or words, repeating them several times before he could move on. Simple words like dog or water seemed to catch in his throat (i.e., "d-d-d-dog" or "w-w-w-water"). He would then exhibit behaviors that seemed to upset him, such as squeezing his eyes shut or making a tight fist. A tantrum would sometimes follow. It was clear that Jack knew what he wanted to say, but the words just wouldn't come out. It became quite frustrating for him. As a result, Jack began to speak less frequently in group settings. His parents also noticed he was becoming more reserved, especially around people he didn’t know well.
Jill, on the other hand, is a whirlwind of energy. This energy extends to her speech as well. She talks fast, so fast that sometimes her words seem to blend together. Jill’s parents noticed that she often skips over sounds or syllables, making it hard to understand what she’s saying. A simple sentence like "I want to play with the doll" might come out as "Iwanpla wih teh doh." Jill’s speech is often rapid, and she doesn’t seem to notice when her words become jumbled. Despite her enthusiasm to communicate, her parents find themselves frequently asking her to slow down and repeat herself.
As time went on, Jack and Jill’s speech behaviors became more pronounced, and their parents grew increasingly concerned. They wondered if these speech patterns were just a phase or if there was something more to it. Their concerns deepened as Jack started avoiding conversations altogether, while Jill’s speech became so rapid that her teachers and peers were struggling to understand her. It was clear that both Jack and Jill were facing unique challenges in their communication, and their parents knew it was time to seek help.
That’s when they sought speech therapy services, and it was determined that Jack was exhibiting characteristics consistent with stuttering, and Jill had a profile consistent with cluttering.
Characteristics of Cluttering
Cluttering is a fluency disorder defined by “perceived rapid and/or irregular speech rate, atypical pauses, maze behaviors, pragmatic issues, decreased awareness of fluency problems or moments of disfluency, excessive disfluencies, collapsing or omitting syllables, and language formulation issues, which result in breakdowns in speech clarity and/or fluency” (ASHA).
That may sound like a lot to digest, so let’s break it down.
1 -- One of the main characteristics of cluttering is a rapid and/or irregular speaking rate.
In other words, you may notice your child is producing bursts of rapid-fire speech or spurts with irregular or no pauses between words.
2 -- In children who clutter (CWC), we also see a high frequency of non-stuttered disfluencies and a low number or absence of stuttered or atypical disfluencies.

3 --- In CWC, we also see disorganized language which can be challenging for a listener to understand. For example, when Jill was asked to describe her day at the pool she said:
“So, so I went to the pool and, and we swam and, and then my friend, uh, he jumped off—oh, we were laughing, then snacks, and, and after that, we, um, we were playing in the wa-...water. It was, like, so fun, and I, I, I think I lost my, uh, goggles somewhere in the—oh, and we, uh, we did this game where... yeah, it was cool.”
4 -- This disorganized language, mixed with a rapid speech rate and disfluencies can lead to another hallmark characteristic of cluttering: decreased intelligibility.
Oftentimes CWC have a mumbled, almost slurred quality to their speech. This is because their rapid speech rate results in dropping sounds from words, sounds mispronunciations, and/or co-articulation (i.e., when a word is changed/influenced by sounds in words before or after it).
5 -- Lastly, a key feature of CWC is a lack of awareness.
In stuttering, the child is often aware of the disruption in fluency. They know what they want to say, but the sound or syllable is getting stuck, often leading to what we call “secondary” or “struggle” behaviors which occur in response to the child’s instinct to push through the moment of stuttering (e.g., tension, eye blinking, breaking eye contact, and head/body movements).
In pure cluttering, we do not see these behaviors. This is partly because the CWC may not always be aware of their cluttering behavior. It is important to note, however, that CWC have variable awareness, not a total lack of awareness.
REMEMBER: Just like those who stutter can be affected and aware of tension in a moment of stuttering, CWC can experience negative listener reactions, educational consequences, and adverse impacts on social relationships (Scaler Scott, 2023). CWC may not fully understand the reasons for these breakdowns, but they can recognize that they are happening.
Cluttering FAQs
IF MY CHILD IS CLUTTERING, WILL THEIR SPEECH SOUND LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME?
The answer is: No (Scaler-Scott, 2023)
Similar to what we see in stuttering, cluttering is situational. If your child is cluttering, they will likely clutter more when the language demand is higher. For example, when telling a story or explaining the rules of a game.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY CHILD IS STUTTERING OR CLUTTERING?
As a parent, you might be wondering -- are the elements I’m hearing in my child’s speech more indicative of stuttering or cluttering?
The table, adapted from the National Stuttering Association, helps break it down:

If you think your child might be stuttering (not cluttering), check out our blog post Let's Say Stutter for more information.
OKAY, SO MY CHILD CLUTTERS. WHAT NOW?
Good news! Speech therapy can help support CWC by providing tools for more clear and confident communication.
Every child is different, so developing strategies that are specific and meaningful to your child is paramount.
Resources
Want a quick overview of stuttering and cluttering? Check out our Stuttering & Fluency Guide designed for parents. Use code CLUTTER for a free download.
The Stuttering Foundation also has some great information on their site about stuttering and cluttering. Check out this article, written by a Clutterer for other Clutterers.
And if you suspect your child is cluttering and they could benefit from support, we’re here to help. Talk Time is enrolling new clients today. Send us an email at info@talktimeboston.com to get started.
Citations
National Stuttering Association. (2010). Stuttering vs. Cluttering [Brochure].
Scaler Scott, K. (2023, November 15). Debunking myths about the speech fluency disorder, cluttering. ASHAWIRE. https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.FTR2.28112023.slp-cluttering-id.50/full/
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