Fluency Disorders

These are basic characteristics of two fluency disorders (stuttering and cluttering) as well as dysfluency types that are common in individuals with Tourette's Syndrome. 

Stuttering	Tourette’s Syndrome	Cluttering
Blocks Prolongations Single syllable word repetitions Partial word repetitions With tension	Hesitations Interjections Revisions Unfinished words Phrase repetitions Without tension	Interjections Unfinished words Syllable repetitions Word repetitions Phrase repetitions Without tension

Reports show that there is a between 15.3% and 31.3 % incidence of stuttering in people with TS (Van Borsel, 2004, p. 359).  This is much higher than the incidence of the general population where approximately 1% of the adult population present with stuttering (Woods, 1995, p.124).  When working with persons diagnosed with stuttering or Tourette's it is beneficial to identify or rule out the presence of the other disorder in order to treat the whole person. 

* Van Borsel, J. (2004).  Disfluency in Tourette syndrome: observational study in three cases.  Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica.  56(6), 358-366.
* Woods, D.W., & Miltenberger, R.G. (1995).  Habit reversal: a review of applications and variations.  Journal of Behavior, Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry.  26(2).  123-131.