What characteristic is predominant in borderline stuttering compared to normal stuttering?

The predominant characteristic of borderline stuttering compared to normal stuttering is indeed the presence of a higher frequency of disfluencies, measured as 11 or more disfluencies per 100 words. This increased frequency signifies a notable deviation from typical speech patterns and indicates a level of disfluency that is more pronounced than what is usually observed in normal stuttering.

In borderline stuttering, the child may exhibit a mix of typical disfluencies, such as repetitions and extensions, but the frequency is what primarily distinguishes it from the normal range. This can be an indicator for clinicians to assess the level of concern regarding the fluency issues.

Knowing that borderline stuttering involves a greater intensity of disfluency, awareness of stuttering difficulties may not necessarily be as pronounced as in more developed forms of stuttering. Similarly, while less than two-unit repetitions could occur, this characteristic isn't unique to borderline stuttering; it's observed in a range of fluency profiles. The absence of repetitions is also not a defining trait associated with borderline stuttering, as it is characterized by various types of disfluencies.