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

E n this article we’ll look at what taquilalia is , what some of its possible causes are and how we can intervene in it.

Taquilalia: definition and symptoms

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

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

Likewise, the person may be aware of the acceleration of his/her speech, and of the difficulty others have in understanding it, yet this acceleration does not easily diminish despite the effort to control it .

Taquilalia, dysphemia or stuttering?

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

These characteristics are visible and are therefore known as primary behaviours. However, the dysphemia is also characterized by the presence of secondary behaviors , which are not easily observed but which also affect the quality of life of the person. These are manifestations such as fear, anxiety or avoidance.

Dysphemia is considered by some specialists to be synonymous with stuttering, so in some contexts both may be called “speech fluency disorder” or “communication disorder”. In any case, since it is a broad spectrum of both primary and secondary behaviours, dysphemia may have some particular manifestations. Among these is tachyllalia.

Possible causes

As with other fluency of speech disorders, tachycardia is a pattern of multicausal communication. This means that it may be caused by different factors, among which are emotional coping patterns, parenting styles, the presence of stressors in close contexts , or it may 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 emit intelligible speech , above all because the person faces difficulties that escape his immediate will.

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

Dimensions for evaluation

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

According to Moreno and Garcia-Baamonde (2003) and Prieto (2010), an evaluation of both taquilalia and other speech disorders can be performed along the following dimensions:

  • Evaluation of anxiety and depression , to determine the degree of difficulty in social interaction and the subjective experiences related to this.
  • Evaluation of speech, both on a quantitative and qualitative level , for example through readings that scale from simple to complex and exercises that allow observation of attention and body relationships, as well as using psychometric scales.
  • To evaluate communicative exchanges of the family unit by means of observations, to determine listening skills, interruptions, eye contacts, reactions, etc.

This is complemented by in-depth interviews with caregivers, teachers and the child himself. Once the assessment is completed, it can be started with a specific intervention process, prioritizing what has been most significant in the different dimensions.

Intervention strategies

After making an assessment 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 with a 13-year-old boy, Moreno and Garcia-Baamonde (2003) conducted regular sessions of 45 minutes each, twice a week. These sessions sought to gradually achieve the following objectives:

  • Reduce the flow of the child’s speech .
  • Adequate their respiratory function.
  • To increase the mobility of the oral area when speaking, in order to speed up the articulation.
  • Involve the parents in the sessions and provide them with strategies to reinforce the child’s paused speech, for example, give the child enough time to respond , avoid repeating his words as he pronounces them, do breathing and relaxation exercises at home, among others.

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

  • Breathing activities .

    • .

  • Progressive relaxation training.
  • Monitoring, feedback and self-correction of read text.
  • Techniques for reading transition .
  • Systematic desensitization.
  • Massages, facial gestures, oral-facial praxias, repetition exercises.
  • Emotional accompaniment , for possible alterations in the child’s self-image as a consequence of mockery, criticism or external pressures.
  • To involve the child by making him/her aware of the situations in which it is generated and by motivating me 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 his or her immediate surroundings.

Bibliographic references:

  • Dysphemias: causes, evolution and treatment (2018). University of Valencia. Recovered August 28, 2018. Available at 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 in learning and in child and primary development. ECU: Alicante.
  • Prieto, B.A. (2010). Alterations in language acquisition. Educational Innovation and Experiences, 36: 1-8. ISSN 1988-6047.
  • Moreno, J. M. and García-Baamonde, M.E. (2003). Intervention in a case of infantile taquilalia. Journal of Speech Therapy, Phoniatrics and Audiology, 23(3): 164-172.