Taquilalia: symptoms, causes and treatment

Taquilalia is a pattern of verbal language characterized by the emission of words at an accelerated pace. Although it can occur at different ages, this pattern most frequently develops during childhood and adolescence.

ANDIn this article we will see what taquilalia is, what are some of its possible causes and how we can intervene in it.

• Related article: "The 8 types of speech disorders"

Taquilalia: definition and symptoms

The term “taquilalia” refers to excessive speed of speech. This speed is characterized by the omission of sounds and syllables, which in turn results in significant difficulty in understanding what the person is trying to express.

Other characteristics of taquilalia are few pauses in speech and motor restlessness, which can be mild or very noticeable. On the other hand, there is not necessarily a semantic or syntactic disorganization of the speech, but rather sounds are replaced by similar ones, due to the speed of speech itself.

Likewise, the person may be aware of the acceleration of his speech, and the difficulty that others have in understanding him, however, said acceleration

does not decrease easily despite efforts to control it.

Taquilalia, dysphemia or stuttering?

Taquilalia is also considered a type of dysphemia. The latter is a disorder of speech fluency, or a communication disorder, characterized by frequent repetition, prolonged and involuntary movements of sounds, syllables or words, as well as doubts or pauses that usually interrupt the rhythmic flow of the speaks.

These characteristics are visible, which is why they are known as primary behaviors. Nevertheless, Dysphemia is also characterized by the presence of secondary behaviors, which are not easily observed but also affect the person's quality of life. These are manifestations such as fear, anxiety or avoidance.

Dysphemia is considered by some specialists to be a synonym for stuttering, so in some In some contexts, both can be called “speech fluency disorder” or “speech fluency disorder.” communication". In any case, as it involves a wide spectrum of both primary and secondary behaviors, dysphemia can have some particular manifestations. Among these is taquilalia.

• You may be interested: "Stuttering (dysphemia): symptoms, types, causes and treatment"

Possible causes

As with other speech fluency disorders, taquilalia is a multicausal communication pattern. This means that it can be caused by different factors, among which are emotional schemes for coping with stressful situations, parenting styles, the presence of stressful stimuli in nearby contexts, or it can also present as one of the manifestations of medical conditions, disability, anxiety disorders, etc.

Likewise, and from the most classic studies of child psychology, some specialists have suggested that one of the main triggers of fluency disorders is external pressure to produce intelligible speech, especially because the person faces difficulties that are beyond their immediate will.

In other words, one of the most common triggers of speech disorders is the discomfort generated when the person becomes aware of that she is not being understood by the rest, and she forces herself to improve her fluency as soon as possible, once again hindering communication.

Dimensions for evaluation

Taquilalia may represent a problematic speech pattern especially when it occurs in school-age children, as it can affect both their relationships with their peers and their performance academic. In fact, one of the most common consequences is avoidance of situations that require interaction, for fear of receiving criticism or ridicule. For this reason, it is essential that the intervention begins with a deep exploration of the manifestations and circumstances surrounding taquilalia.

According to Moreno and García-Baamonde (2003) and Prieto (2010), an evaluation, both of blockbuster As with other speech fluency disorders, it can be done through the following dimensions:

• Assessment of anxiety and depression, to determine the degree of difficulty in social interaction and the subjective experiences related to this.
• Speech evaluation, both quantitatively and qualitatively, for example through readings that scale from simple to complex and exercises that allow observing attention and body relationship, as well as using psychometric scales.
• Evaluate communicative exchanges of the family unit through observations, to determine listening ability, interruptions, eye contacts, reactions, etc.

The above is complemented by in-depth interviews carried out with caregivers, teachers and with the child himself. Once the evaluation is completed, a specific intervention process can begin, prioritizing what has been most significant in the different dimensions.

Intervention strategies

After carrying out an evaluation of the situation of the person with taquilalia, it is important to start the intervention with clearly defined objectives agreed upon with the parents or guardians. In a case study carried out with a 13-year-old child, Moreno and García-Baamonde (2003) conducted periodic sessions of 45 minutes each, twice a week. These sessions sought to gradually achieve the following objectives:

• Reduce the child's speech flow.
• Adapt your respiratory function.
• Increase the mobility of the oral area when speaking, to speed up articulation.
• Involve parents in sessions and provide them with strategies to reinforce the child's slow speech, e.g. give you enough time to respond, avoid repeating his words exactly as he pronounces them, do breathing and relaxation exercises at home, among others.

Once the objectives were set, some of the techniques used during the intervention sessions were the following:

• Respiratory activities.
• Progressive relaxation training.
• Monitoring, feedback and autocorrection of read text.
• Reading Transition Techniques.
• Systematic desensitization.
• Massages, facial gestures, orofacial praxis, repetition exercises.
• Emotional support, due to possible alterations in the child's self-image as a result of teasing, criticism or external pressure.
• Involve the child, ensuring that they become aware of the situations in which they arise and motivating them to continue the intervention.

After 25 sessions of a planned and joint intervention (with family and school), Moreno and García-Baamonde (2003) highlight the positive impact of the intervention, both on the child and on their nearby environments.

Bibliographic references:

• Dysphemias: causes, evolution and treatment (2018). University of Valencia. Retrieved August 28, 2018. Available in https://www.uv.es/uvweb/master-intervencion-logopedica/es/blog/disfemia-causas-evolucion-tratamiento-1285881139898/GasetaRecerca.html? id=1285969311828.
• Castejón, J. L. and Navas, L. (2013). Difficulties and disorders of learning and childhood and primary development. ECU: Alicante.
• Prieto, M.A. (2010). Alterations in language acquisition. Innovation and Educational Experiences, 36: 1-8. ISSN 1988-6047.
• Moreno, J. M. and García-Baamonde, M.E. (2003). Intervention in a case of childhood taquilalia. Journal of Speech Therapy, Phoniatrics and Audiology, 23(3): 164-172.