Word-final disfluency (WFD), also referred to as end-word repetition and echo dysphemia, most often takes the form of a final rhyme-repetition involving a whole or partial syllable (for example, lock-ock, brother-er, ca-ake). While WFD has been reported in case studies of children described as neurotypical, autistic, and having other conditions, little research exists to shed light on epidemiology, neurological underpinnings, or course of development. Case descriptions of WFD suggest a multidimensional profile differing from developmental stuttering.
In this one-hour presentation, Vivian Sisskin, M.S., CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, and Samantha Wasilus, M.A., CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, report therapy data for 20 successfully completed therapy cases of WFD in children using Structured Awareness Therapy for Word-Final Disfluency (SAT-WFD)©. Promising pilot therapy data support the need for research in (1) Incidence/prevalence, and relationship to developmental stuttering (2) potential causes or functions, and (3) evidence-based therapy approaches.
