Cluttering is a communicative disorder that involves short attention span, inability to listen, and difficulties with syntax. Cluttering is similar to, and is often confused with, the speech disorder stuttering. Like stuttering, cluttering involves excessive breaks in the normal flow of speech, but unlike stuttering, cluttering is also characterized by disfluency that seems to result from disorganized speech planning, talking too fast or in spurts, or simply being unsure of what one wants to say. By contrast, a person who stutters typically knows exactly what he or she wants to say but is temporarily unable to say it. To compare, cluttering on the phrase, "I want to go to the store," would resemble, "I want to go to the st...uh...place where you buy...market st-st-store," while stuttering would more resemble, "I want to g-g-go to the sssssssssstore." A clutterer described the feeling associated with a clutter as:
| Cluttering | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Psychiatry  |
It feels like 1) about twenty thoughts explode on my mind all at once, and I need to express them all, 2) that when I'm trying to make a point, that I just remembered something that I was supposed to say, so the person can understand, and I need to interrupt myself to say something that I should have said before, and 3) that I need to constantly revise the sentences that I'm working on, to get it out right. (Reyes-Alami)
Another clutterer wrote on an Internet support group:
I just seem to rush through the words, and often slur words together and/or mumble—and as a result I often have to slow down, concentrate, and repeat myself.
Cluttering may also be characterized by poor concentration and short attention span, perceptual weakness, poorly organized thinking or speaking before clarifying thoughts. The affected person is usually unaware of any communication impairment and speaks at a faster than normal rate. The cause of cluttering is unknown.
See also
References
- Reyes-Alami, C. "Interview with a Person who Clutters." 3 March 2004. Accessed on 1 January 2006.