What not to say to someone who stammers 

NSpector yeah I think a lot of people just don't see stammering as being a difficult problem to control and because people think that. They give out some really stupid advice and I know they are trying to be helpful and I can see that but they shouldn't be making out that they know more about a disability/disorder that they don't have to live with.

Yes. I suppose it's one thing to ask a question "does this help?" or something like that, as opposed to *telling* you what to do. The first could be annoying, but the second is presumptuous and condescending. Right, I don't think most mean it to be, and, as you said, they relate it -- stammering -- to whatever's happened to them that they think is the same or close....but then, plenty of times they can TELL it's different and still offer their sage advice. I don't even stutter myself (I know kind of a lot for a layperson, tho), and it really bothers me just hearing about it. People do this all the time, of course, with things they *think* they understand but do not. It's just particularly distilled with stammering, isn't it.

Cloudy Sky thanks so much for your lovely comment.

Are there any medications or therapies that you can try? I know little about the causes of stammering, and I was curious.

Conner Nickerson you can go onto 2 different courses that helps you to control the stammer. Not to cure it because there is no cure. The 2 courses are called The Maguire Programme and The Starfish Project. So it's basically a 4 day intensive course that gives you a new way of breathing called costal breathing which helps you to control the stammer. Then after the 4 days you have to work at it everyday to basically control the stammer. Stammering is an neurological disorder so I don't think people who stammer are given pills to help with it. I could be wrong but I know that in the UK they don't have a pill for stammering. I hope that helped you out. Plus you can have speech therapy too that helps with feeling more confident about stammering in everyday life and for the stammer to not hold you back in anything that you wanted to do. Speech therapy is great for accepting that you have a stammer too which always helps the person in the long run.

Jordan Halkier Thank you for the reply, that's interesting. My brother has Tourettes Syndrome, so I know a little about neurological disorders. Also, though my condition was not nearly as severe as someone with a stammer, I did have a speech impediment that I had to take weekly classes in order to overcome. I wouldn't speak at all until I was nearly 4 years old. Now...i can hardly shut up!

Conner Nickerson what type of condition did you have then ?

BikerMouse80 I can see that the fluent person is trying to help but we know the condition more than they do. Some I would love it if they didn't share any tips for me when it comes to getting my words out because they don't have a clue about how difficult it is.

Jordan Halkier you're right.