How might spontaneous conversation appear with longer utterances in AOS?

• A. No noticeable errors
• B. Lengthened segments and pauses with inconsistent errors
• C. High-rate speech
• D. Smooth, uninterrupted speech

Answer: (B)

In AOS, when spontaneous conversation includes longer utterances, the motor planning and programming demands reveal themselves as longer segments and more pauses, with errors that are inconsistent from attempt to attempt. The speaker has to organize increasingly complex sequences of articulatory movements, so it takes more time to prepare each segment, leading to slowed, careful speech and hesitations. Because planning can vary from moment to moment, the errors don’t follow a fixed pattern, appearing in different places or in different ways across attempts.

This stands in contrast to speech with no noticeable errors or smooth, uninterrupted flow, which would be more typical of typical fluency. AOS is also not characterized by high-rate speech; the hallmark is slowed, effortful production with variable errors, especially as utterances become longer and more demanding to plan.