Stuttering and Stammering We may also call stammering. In the Diagnostic and statistical manual fifth edition, they call it Childhood-onset fluency disorder: Repetitions or prolongations of speech sounds OR Hesitations/pauses Marked disturbance in the fluency of speech.  Frequently associated movements, for example: Eye blinks  Tics Tremors of the lips or face Jerking of the head Breathing movements Fist-clenching These coincide with the stutters.  Tip > both Stuttering and Stammering include S as in heSitations Compare this to Staccato Speech