What is Language Formulation Disfluency?

Summary:

Found in the article by Nan Ratner, Ed.D.

She made up the term to describe disfluencies that often go along with children who have language delays
- Cause is language formulation problems
- Child is not aware
- No struggling or secondary behaviors
Look at the difference between…
- Linguistic disfluencies: phrase repetitions, interjections, and revisions
- Stuttering disfluencies: part word/sound/syllable repetitions, prolongations
All kids do linguistic disfluencies when the complexity and demands of language increase (like in narratives)
Nan seems to be propsing that some kids with language disorders/delays also have stuttering disfluencies when language complexity and demands are high, which is often since they have trouble with language in general
- Key is that there is no struggle or little awareness
She proposes treating the underlying language problems and not the stutter as typical fluency strategies won’t work on these kids
Some children do have language problems and a legitimate stutter so try to figure out what’s going on by exploring emotional implications of stuttering