A diagnosis of cluttering is given to individuals whose rate of speech is perceptually too fast or jerky, who also exhibits at least two of the following: excessive fillers (semantic cluttering), over-coarticulation (phonological cluttering), omission of entire words, abnormal pausing and abnormal stress patterns. Cluttering is frequently seen in individuals with co-occurring diagnoses such as Down Syndrome, Language disorder, Stuttering, Autism and ADHD, and aspects of Autistic ways of speaking could potentially be misconstrued as cluttering. Given this background, it is possible that providing cluttering treatment could be teaching masking.
This led to these research questions: How do cluttering clients view current treatments, and how can speech pathologists ensure that they are neuro-affirming in cluttering treatment?
To explore these questions, we conducted interviews with parents of children who clutter and adults who clutter. In addition, we collected data from the broader cluttering community through an interactive workshop at an international cluttering conference. Thematic analysis was used to capture participants’ thoughts about the interaction between cluttering and neurodiversity within diagnosis, assessment and treatment. A particular focus was on recommendations from participants about how to ensure cluttering treatment is neuro-affirming.
The results of our study reveal that the cluttering community views cluttering as a distinct entity that can and should be treated. The presentation will provide a summary of the key themes and practical tips on how these can be applied to promote neuro-affirming practice with cluttering clients.

At the conclusion of my presentation attendees will:
1. Have an understanding of how cluttering is seen from the perspective of the cluttering community
2. Have practical tips about how to promote neuro-affirming practice when working with cluttering clients