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Cluttering is a
speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
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 Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
and communication disorder that has also been described as a fluency disorder. It is defined as:


Signs and symptoms

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 and 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 Language disorders or language impairments are disorders that involve the processing of linguistic information. Problems that may be experienced can involve grammar (syntax and/or morphology (linguistics), morphology), semantics (meaning), or o ...
, learning disabilities, and
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...
(ADHD). Clutterers often have reading and writing disabilities, especially sprawling, disorderly handwriting, which poorly integrate ideas and space. It can occur with
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
.


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. It is 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, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
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, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. It had over 60 participants from North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.


Society and culture

Weiss claimed that Battaros,
Demosthenes Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...
,
Pericles Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...
,
Justinian Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...
,
Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...
, and
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
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