ABSTRACT
There is surprisingly little empirical evidence about speech fluency disorders characterized by atypical speech delivery rates. In addition to a recent surge in attention to cluttering, discussed elsewhere in this volume (see also Scaler Scott & St. Louis, 2009) there has been a persistent call for matching levels of empirical clinical research (e.g., Bakker, 1996; Scaler Scott & St. Louis, 2009). The authors of this chapter have initiated a series of empirical research projects centered on the commonly recognized features of cluttering (Daly & Burnett, 1999; Weiss, 1964), notably: (1) speech rate control (Bakker, Raphael, Myers, St. Louis, & MacRoy, 2004; Raphael, Bakker, Myers, & St. Louis, 2007; Raphael et al., 2005; Raphael, Bakker, Myers, St. Louis, & MacRoy, 2001, 2004); (2) self-awareness of rate and clarity (Myers, Bakker, Raphael, & St. Louis, 2005); and (3) speech disfluency (Myers & St. Louis, 1996, 2006; Myers et al., 2004; Myers, St. Louis, Raphael, Bakker, & Lwowski, 2003). As speaking rate is central to our understanding of cluttering-related behaviors, we collected data from clutterers, from individuals who speak perceptually fast but who do not clutter (hereafter referred to as exceptionally rapid speakers, or ERS), as well as from controls (Myers et al., 2004; Raphael et al., 2001).
