Development of An Impact Scale for Assessment of Fluency Disorders

Abstract

Fluency disorders are complex and multifactorial in nature. It is necessary to have tools measuring all the aspects of fluency disorders, leading to an estimate of their impact on a person's life. There are tools based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for this purpose. They, however, assess only stuttering. Further, they ignore the valuable perspective of significant others. The present study describes the construction of an Impact Scale for Assessment of Cluttering and Stuttering (ISACS).The scale has been repeatedly edited through four versions, the final version having two forms- for persons with fluency disorders and their significant others. The study establishes the reliability and appropriateness of the scale for assessing impact of fluency disorders. It underlines its importance in planning and implementing therapy, involving significant others, improving the client's awareness of cluttering as well as for research on cluttering.