“How about just talking too fast?”
Cluttering is a relatively unknown fluency disorder that can involve disorganized, rapid, jerky, or unclear speaking. It is often mistaken for stuttering, but the two are not the same. Cluttering it is often not recognized as a stand-alone speech impediment, even though it is as common as stuttering.
To outsiders, cluttering seems like an awkwardness that can simply be avoided by speaking more quietly and carefully. But in reality it isn’t that simple. Also, in the minds of most clutterers, their speech does sound fluent or intelligible. This means there is a lot of confusion and (mutual) misjudgment about this speech-language impediment. As a result, people who clutter often feel misunderstood.
I never knew how to explain what went wrong in my speech. Couldn’t really call it stuttering, but didn’t know how to describe it correctly, either. I just thought I was being clumsy, “floundering” with my words. Never would have guessed there actually is a name for what I do. And that I am not the only one!
I always thought I stuttered: that’s exactly what people told me. Yet I have never felt completely at ease with this term. I knew I “stuttered” in a different way, never really got stuck in my words. But the strangest thing of all is that I had never heard of cluttering before, not even from my speech-language pathologist. Now I know exactly what I do: a major difference!
When my daughter and I found out that she doesn’t stutter but clutter, a whole new world opened up to us. For years we had been looking for a suitable therapy, but didn’t find one. Now we know that cluttering is different from stuttering. I would have liked to have that knowledge much earlier.
It’s about time
Although cluttering is rather unknown to the general public, this speech-language disorder gets more and more attention now. Cluttering is widely respected as a fluency disorder in its own right. Also, an ever increasing number of speech-language pathologists around the world is able to put their finger on it. This is good news for people who clutter. They can now count on the help they deserve. Some experts (by experience) explain.
Too fast for words: the book on cluttering
Are you a person who clutters? Or do you suspect that you clutter? Order Too fast for words now and learn everything about this intriguing phenomenon.
Easy to read
Dozens of anecdotes from people who clutter
An extensive explanation of cluttering
Insights in what is going wrong in your speech
Tips for successful treatment
Dealing with cluttering in daily life
Creating understanding with others