Differential Diagnosis - Preschool Stuttering

Place a check mark by the characteristics that are present:

Risk Factors
Characteristics of stuttering Characteristics of typical disfluencies

Family history of stuttering No known risk factors present

Stuttering began 6 or
more months ago
Speech Sound
Production Disorder
Expressive- Receptive
Language Disorder

Types of Disfluencies
Characteristics of stuttering Characteristics of typical disfluencies
(Stuttering-like Disfluencies) (Typical Disfluencies)
Stuttering-like disfluencies multisyllabic word repetition

monosyllabic word repetitions phrase repetition

sound repetition interjection

part-word/syllable repetition revision/incomplete phrase.

prolongations of sounds multisyllabic word repetition

Blocks
Physical tension or struggle when
speaking

Frequency of Disfluencies
Characteristics of typical
Characteristics of stuttering
disfluencies
9 or more disfluencies out of 100 8 or less disfluencies out of 100
words words

Secondary Behaviors/ Negative Reactions

Characteristics of stuttering Characteristics of typical disfluencies

Eye blinking No secondary behaviors

Head nodding/movement No negative reactions

Atypical facial movement or tension

Atypical body movement (hands,
 References

Cavenagh, P., Costelloe, S., Davis, S., & Howell, P. (2015). Characteristics of young children

close to the onset of stuttering. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 36(3), 162–171.

https://doi-org.libsrv.wku.edu/10.1177/1525740114549955

Coleman, C. (2015, June 19). How can you tell if childhood stuttering is the real deal?

Retrieved from https://blog.asha.org/2013/09/26/how-can-you-tell-if-childhood-

stuttering-is-the-real-deal/

Gregg, B. A., & Sawyer, J. (2015). Assessing disfluencies in school-age children who stutter.

Communication Disorders Quarterly, 37(1), 36–43.

https://doi-org.libsrv.wku.edu/10.1177/1525740114565506

Pellowski, M. W., & Conture, E. G. (2002). Characteristics of speech disfluency and stuttering

behaviors in 3- and 4-year-old children. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing

Research, 45(1), 20. https://doi-org.libsrv.wku.edu/10.1044/1092-4388(2002/002)

Recognize the risk factors for stuttering. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.stutteringhelp.org/content/recognize-risk-factors-stuttering

Weidner, M. E., Louis, K. O. S., & Glover, H. L. (2018). Changing nonstuttering preschool

children’s stuttering attitudes. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(4),

1445–1457. https://doi-org.libsrv.wku.edu/10.1044/2018_AJSLP-18-0019