SLP Fluency and Its Disorders 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Cluttering is distinguished from stuttering primarily by:
- Presence of secondary behaviors such as eye blinking and head nodding
- Rapid or irregular speech rate with collapsed syllables and reduced self-monitoring (Correct answer)
- Avoidance of feared words and situations
- Onset exclusively after neurological injury
Correct answer: Rapid or irregular speech rate with collapsed syllables and reduced self-monitoring
Cluttering is characterized by excessively fast or irregular rate, telescoping of syllables, and poor self-awareness of speech clarity, differentiating it from stuttering.
Question 2: Pharmacotherapy for stuttering using dopamine antagonists (e.g., haloperidol) is generally considered:
- First-line treatment producing durable fluency gains
- Effective short-term but limited by side-effect profiles (Correct answer)
- Contraindicated in all people who stutter
- More effective than behavioral therapy for school-age children
Correct answer: Effective short-term but limited by side-effect profiles
Dopamine antagonists can reduce stuttering frequency but their use is limited by significant side effects, and gains often do not persist after discontinuation.
Question 3: The term 'secondary behaviors' in stuttering refers to:
- The core repetitions and prolongations that define the disorder
- Learned struggle and escape behaviors that develop in response to stuttering (Correct answer)
- Avoidance of specific speaking situations only
- Language deficits that co-occur with stuttering
Correct answer: Learned struggle and escape behaviors that develop in response to stuttering
Secondary behaviors are learned reactions (e.g., eye blinks, head jerks, interjections) that the person who stutters develops in attempts to escape or avoid moments of stuttering.
Question 4: The Speech Situation Checklist is used primarily to assess:
- Severity of core stuttering behaviors in a standardized reading passage
- Situational variability and avoidance related to stuttering (Correct answer)
- Phonological accuracy during fluent speech intervals
- Parent perceptions of a child's natural recovery progress
Correct answer: Situational variability and avoidance related to stuttering
The Speech Situation Checklist measures the degree of avoidance and emotional reaction across various speaking situations, capturing the impact dimension of stuttering.
Question 5: Which condition involves disruption of previously fluent speech following a stroke or TBI, with atypical features such as equal stuttering on content and function words?
- Psychogenic stuttering
- Neurogenic acquired stuttering (Correct answer)
- Developmental stuttering relapse
- Cluttering
Correct answer: Neurogenic acquired stuttering
Neurogenic acquired stuttering follows identifiable neurological events and shows atypical features including stuttering on function words and absence of the adaptation effect.
Question 6: The Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES) measures:
- Percentage of syllables stuttered across three speaking conditions
- Multidimensional impact of stuttering on quality of life and daily functioning (Correct answer)
- Rate of natural recovery over a 12-month period
- Phonation onset time as a physiological stuttering marker
Correct answer: Multidimensional impact of stuttering on quality of life and daily functioning
OASES is a self-report tool that captures the broader impact of stuttering across four sections: general information, reactions, daily communication, and quality of life.
Question 7: Which approach to stuttering treatment explicitly incorporates acceptance and mindfulness strategies?
- Prolonged Speech therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy adapted for stuttering (Correct answer)
- SpeechEasy device training
- Precision Fluency Shaping Program
Correct answer: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy adapted for stuttering
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) adapted for stuttering teaches clients to accept stuttering experiences without avoidance and commit to valued communication behaviors.
SLP Fluency and Its Disorders 3
Cluttering is distinguished from stuttering primarily by: