Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a cure for stammering?
Stammering is not a disease caused by a virus or bacteria. Stammering is
a condition and as such cannot be 'cured'. The fact that stammering cannot
be cured doesn't mean that nothing can be done about it. Speech therapy can
greatly improve your fluency and in many cases virtually eliminate
stammering. Look at the stammering
therapies we selected for you.
What is a PWS?
PWS is an acronym meaning Person Who Stutters
or Person Who Stammers. Many stammerers feel comfortable with
the terms stammerer and
stammering or
their American English equivalents
stutterer and
stuttering but others prefer the politically correct term PWS.
What causes stammering?
There is no clear scientific explanation regarding the causes of
stammering. Stammering is probably a combination of genetic, physical and
psychological factors:
- Stammering tends to run in families and you are twice as likely to
stammer if one of your parents stammers.
- Stammering seems to be partly due to the unique way stammerers
physically react to stress by tensing the muscles of their larynx whereas
non-stammerers usually react to stress by tensing some other muscles.
- Stammering induces negative feelings such as shame, guilt, lowered
confidence and self-esteem. These negative feelings in turn tend to make
stammering worse.
Do stammerers have a lower IQ?
On average, stammerers have the same IQ as non-stammerers. Stammerers are
sometimes wrongly perceived as being less intelligent than non-stammerers.
This is mainly due to the fact that stammerers often resort to word
substitution: when a stammerer feels he will block on a specific word, he
often uses an alternative word. The alternative word is often less
appropriate and in some cases not appropriate at all. The listener might get
the false impression that the stammerer suffers from mental confusion. |