Fluency
When children speak, their words should flow without breaks, without pausing or stuttering. Some children may repeat sounds or parts of a word (e.g. 'boo-boo-boo-book').
They may prolong certain sounds (e.g. 'mmmmm-mommy') or they may use hesitations such as ‘um’ frequently. Many young children stutter initially; most outgrow it. Speech therapy is necessary when there are numerous breaks in fluency or when speaking is effortful or stressful for the child.
Examples of ‘effortful speech’ include secondary behaviours that accompany attempts to produce speech, such as eye-blinking, foot-stomping or hand-slapping.