Speech Dysfluency in Intellectually Disabled Persons

The article examines the question, rarely discussed in literature, of speech dysfluencies in intellectually disabled persons. The description and diagnostic interpretation of the occurrence of the speech dysfluency phenomenon in the intellectually disabled is highly significant from the standpoint of logopedic theory and practice. The present article is a report on the results of tests in a 34-person group, whose goal was first of all to answer the following questions: 1) What is the percentage of persons with pathological speech dysfluencies among intellectually disabled teenagers and adults? 2) Which symptoms of pathological dysfluency occur most often in the intellectually disabled? 3) In the tested subjects, do other accompanying symptoms occur with dysfluency, which enable diagnosing speech disorder entities and programming diverse therapies? The authors also discuss the question of the relationship between sex plus the degree of intellectual disability, and the intensity and type of dysfluencies.