Cluttering: the specialized tool
Van Zaalen SPS biofeedback, assessment battery, cognitive-load exercises and at-home tracking.
1–2%
of the population presents with clinical cluttering
30–50%
comorbidity with ADHD
5.5 SPS
tachylalia threshold per Van Zaalen norms (adults)
Cluttering: fast rate, weak self-monitoring
Cluttering (F98.6) is a fluency disorder marked by a speech rate that is too fast and/or irregular, syllable telescoping and limited awareness of the problem. People who clutter often cannot hear that their own speech is running away from them. That is precisely why visual biofeedback is the cornerstone of treatment.
ICD-10: F98.6Fast or irregular rate (>5.5 SPS) that the patient does not notice
Syllable telescoping: words swallowed and compressed
Self-monitoring deficit: the inner ear does not catch the problem
Frequent filler words (um, like, you know) in spontaneous speech
Loosely organized discourse, topic jumps, imprecise articulation
What Talk Slower brings to this indication
Real-time SPS biofeedback
A visual gauge of syllables per second computed over actual speaking time (pauses excluded). Van Zaalen norms are built in by age. Color zones: too slow / target / too fast.
Cognitive-load exercises
Tricky passages (numbers, proper nouns, complex structures) train the patient to hold the target rate under cognitive load, following Bosshardt (2006).
Van Zaalen assessment battery
SPS measured in reading and spontaneous speech, the Predictive Cluttering Inventory (PCI), and phonological encoding. Word export for the patient chart.
Filler-word detection
Automatic flagging of filler disfluencies (um, like, you know, right) in recordings. Session-to-session comparison.
Dialogue mode with diarization
Voice biofeedback during conversation. The app detects both speakers and shows a separate SPS gauge for each, so rate work happens in a realistic setting.
Cross-session SPS curve
Average SPS over 4, 8 or 12 weeks. Pinpoints the exercise categories where rate stays high. Quantitative tracking of progress.
Try it live
These modules run right in your browser, microphone optional. This is what your patients see between sessions.
Read this sentence aloud:
"The long sobs of autumn's violins wound my heart."
Keep your level in the green zone for 10 seconds.
One patient with cluttering: speech rate (SPS) over time during guided reading
Van Zaalen norms · adult target: ≤ 4.3 SPS
Your patients' exercises
A preview of the modules available in the app. Every exercise can be assigned from your dashboard.
SPS biofeedback
Your patient sees their rate in real time. It is often the first time they realize how fast they speak, and that changes everything.
Cognitive-load exercises
Under mental pressure, the rate climbs back up. These exercises train the patient to hold the target rate even when their mind is busy elsewhere.
Van Zaalen assessment battery
A numeric assessment that is comparable from one session to the next. You show the patient a curve that goes down. It is concrete and motivating.
Filler-word detection
Your patient discovers how many times a minute they say 'um' or 'like'. The number itself becomes their motivation.
Dialogue mode
Treatment moves from the exercise to real life. The patient transfers their gains into normal conversation, with biofeedback.
Weekly SPS curve
Within a few weeks, your patient watches the curve go down. Tangible proof that the work is paying off.
How it fits into your practice
1. Initial assessment
Median SPS across 5 samples. PCI (Predictive Cluttering Inventory). Comparison against Van Zaalen norms.
2. Guided reading exercises
Passages normed for length and syllable complexity. Real-time SPS biofeedback.
3. Cognitive-load exercises
Tricky passages to hold rate under cognitive pressure.
4. Dialogue mode
Biofeedback during conversation. Ideal for the transfer phase.
5. Tracking
Weekly SPS curve. Adherence. Replayable recordings. Adjustable prescription.
The cluttering assessment, guided end to end
The patient speaks, the analysis engine pre-fills the measures, you keep control of every value — and the Word report is ready at the end.
Cluttering assessment
Van Zaalen battery · adult & child
- Articulation rate and disfluencies counted automatically, adjustable after replay
- PCI, oral motor skills, reading, writing: tasks flow with on-screen instructions
- Quantified orientation profile at the end of the pathway
Clinical orientation aids, to be validated in consultation. The app does not establish any diagnosis.
Clinical references
Real-time SPS biofeedback is the cornerstone of cluttering treatment because it compensates for the self-monitoring deficit.
Van Zaalen & Reichel (2015), Cluttering: A Handbook
Regulating rate under dual cognitive load is harder for people who clutter, which is why exercises with cognitive traps matter.
Bosshardt (2006), Journal of Fluency Disorders
Consensus on the clinical definition of cluttering: a rate perceived and/or measured as too fast or irregular plus at least one other symptom (articulatory, discourse or motor).
St. Louis & Schulte (2011), International Cluttering Association
Comparison of available tools
An honest look at what the main tools on the market offer for this indication.
| Tool | Real-time SPS biofeedback | Van Zaalen norms | In-browser | No install | SLP tracking | Free for patients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talk Slower | ||||||
| Praat (software) | ||||||
| Orai | ||||||
| Speeko |
= partial or limited feature. Sources: official tool websites, May 2026.
Extend the impact of your sessions between appointments
Your patients practice at home with the same biofeedback as in session. You see their progress before they even arrive.
I cluttered for 20 years without knowing it had a name.
In 2022, my speech-language pathologist showed me an SPS curve for the first time. For the first time, I saw just how fast I was speaking. That visual feedback changed the way I perceived my own speech, where years of effort alone had changed nothing.
I built Talk Slower so that every patient with cluttering could have that same realization at home, between sessions. And so that every speech-language pathologist could objectively measure what they already know how to see in the clinic.
Clément, founder
Former patient with cluttering · Built for clinical practice
Frequently asked questions
Related conditions
These indications share a mechanism or a close differential diagnosis. Explore the dedicated tools.
Stuttering: tools for speech-language pathologists
SPS tracking, RESTART-DCM module (parent/child), fluency assessment, and at-home exercises.
See detailsEchodysphemia: spotting atypical word-final disfluencies
Understand, detect, and track word-final disfluencies: mostly in children with autism or a neurodevelopmental disorder, sometimes into adolescence or adulthood.
See details