What is stammering and dysfluency?

Dysfluency

Dysfluency means speech that isn’t perfectly smooth. Everyone has some dysfluency, like saying “um” or repeating a word when thinking. For children who stammer, dysfluency happens more often and can make talking harder.

Stammering

Stammering (also called stuttering) is when a person has difficulty speaking smoothly. They might:

• Repeat sounds, syllables, or words (e.g., “b-b-ball”)
• Stretch out sounds (e.g., “ssssun”)
• Have pauses or blocks where no sound comes out

It’s not because they don’t know what to say — it’s a speech pattern that can happen when the brain and mouth don’t coordinate smoothly.