Are word-final dysfluencies a type of stuttering?
The World Health Organization (1977) defines stuttering as disorders in the rhythm of speech in which the individual knows precisely what he/she wishes to say but at the time is unable to say it because of an involuntary repetition, prolongation, or cessation of a sound. In this sense, word-final dysfluencies would not be stuttering. Word-final dysfluencies occur after the individual has said what he/she wishes to say. They do not fit the patterns usually found in developmental stuttering, but they appear to be related. In some of the case reports, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that some subjects demonstrated developmental stuttering.
