Cluttering in a School-Aged Child: Tackling the Challenges Step by Step

The purpose of this article is to highlight and provide solutions for the complexities of the communication disorder of cluttering. The article includes a 12-part case study of a school-aged child who is referred for an evaluation due to decreased speech intelligibility. The case is woven throughout the article to illustrate all aspects of client management: initial referral, evaluation and differential diagnosis, treatment, and discharge. The case reflects the challenges of increasing client awareness and the importance of advocating for client's needs throughout the process. This article provides background on myths about cluttering and current research findings to debunk these myths. Additionally, methods for evaluation, differential diagnosis, and treatment of cluttering are presented. An indirect approach to increasing client awareness and family and client education is included. The overall focus is to help the clinician better understand how to evaluate, treat, discharge, and advocate for clients with cluttering in ways that meet clients where they are.