The brain and language development
As a child attempts to develop their language acquisition as one of the most fundamental human traits it is the brain that undergoes the developmental changes. During the phases of language acquisition the brain both stores linguistic information and adapts to the grammatical regularities and irregularities of language. Recent advances in Functional neuroimaging (fMRI) have contributed to the system leave analysis of the brain in relation to linguistic processing. In order for language to be obtained, there needs to be brain stimulation and memory processes at work in order to form the correct brain pathways. When synapses are stimulated repeatedly that pattern of neural connections is then written into the brain and it becomes a more efficient permanent pathway that allows signals to be quickly transmitted. In terms of language, these pathways need to be created in order to remember and understand the language and communicate with it. During specific periods in a childs development the brain is active in forming connections for different abilities, one of which being language. Infants start out able to distinguish sound and process different auditory stimuli but after six months they are only able to do so in their native language. As infants hear sounds repeated a different cluster of neurons in the auditory cortex of the brain that responds to sound. During preschool years, the development of syntax and grammar takes place. It is during this period that children begin to exhibit symptoms of developmental dysfluency if they have it.
Mutations on the GNPTAB, GNPTG, and NAGPA have been found to disrupt the signal that directs enzymes to target locations in the brain and cause stuttering in vocal and linguistic processes. Cluttering
Cluttering (Tachyphemia) is a fluency disorder that can co-occur with stuttering but may also occur individually. When someone is experiencing cluttering disorder their conversation segments may be perceived as too fast, too irregular or both. Other symptoms may include stuttering, language or phonological errors, and attention deficits. It may result from disorganized speech planning or being unsure of what to say. Both cluttering and stuttering are forms of fluency disorders that develop beyond the key years of about ages 2–6. During these ages, dysfluency is mainly just considered to be developmental dysfluency. Cluttering, unlike stuttering, can be distinguished by little to no physical structure, little to no secondary behaviors, decreased awareness of speech problems and the aforementioned typical dysfluencies such as revisions and interjections. Both stuttering and cluttering both have a genetic component. About 1/3 of those who stutter will also clutter which can prove even more difficult to overcome with Speech therapy. A consequence of cluttering is individuals may not be willing to attempt to repair breakdowns in communication which may result in less effective social integration and interactions that can lead to a sense of isolation, anxiety, and depression. Differences between disorders and developmental dysfluency
There are several warning signs of speech delays that are not considered developmentally normal.