Dysfluency and phonic tics in Tourette syndrome: a case report.

Tourette syndrome, a condition first recognized in 1825, is characterized by the presence of multiple motor tics and one or more phonic tics. Individuals with Tourette syndrome may also demonstrate fluency failures in their speech. This study investigated the disfluencies and phonic tics in an 18-year-old affected male before and after a three week period of speech therapy. It was found that the speech pattern displayed by this subject did not completely conform to the classic pattern of stuttering but did bear more resemblance to cluttering. A limited number of therapy sessions resulted in a significant improvement of speech.