Do's and Dont's of Stammers in Fiction

Do's and Dont's of Stammers in Fiction Hello there. To preface, I do not have a stammer myself, and therefore obviously am not a part of your community. I've done research into the condition, but would also like to get some input from people who actually stammer (do you prefer stammer, or stutter? I've heard it both ways). I want to treat this condition with the upmost of respect and care, and to do it justice in a way that is okay with all of you. I'm writing a YA novel about a boy who by all means is a 'side character' in his own life. His sister is the Empress and he's the Prince by technicality, but no one usually pays him much attention or gives him a chance unless they need him for something. This leads to a lot of frustration about his life and makes him feel as though he's 'stuck'. He and his sister are then kidnapped by two mercenaries who claim his sister stole their artifact. By the end of the book we find out the MC is actually the one who stole it. By extension he is the most critical character in the entire story. Towards the end he gets proper recognition, and also goes on to become a wonderful leader without having to sacrifice his personality. It's sort of a 'it's not that I had to change who I was, just that people had to learn how to accept me' type of storyline. Lots of found family, the main cast is very supportive of each other for the most part, and very sincere. Now, the main character also has a stutter. I do not intend for him to ever 'overcome' this stutter because I know that is a very unrealistic and problematic solution. It's a part of who he is and that isn't bad, though I do not it's also not ideal or fun to experience, and he doesn't view it as such. Throughout the story he learns how to grow into his own personality and find confidence in who he already is, without having to change himself. So, in a way, sort of a coming of age story. As mentioned, I've done some research and have general guidelines for his stammer, both for accuracy and ease of reading, because I want to write it phonetically without it being overbearing overbearing the reader. So, for example: - He struggles with 'th' sounds. When he says a word starting with 'th', he will repeat the next syllable, typically only once, and then be able to move on. This looks like: 'the-ey', or 'the-erefore.' Importantly, this only trips him up when the 'th' is the first sound in the word. - He also has a hard time with hard 'a' sounds and will repeat it usually once no matter where it is in a word. Eg, 'ma-ake', 'A-aytal', awa-ay'. His stammer is also highly influenced by emotions. The above examples are usually what he sounds like in a neutral setting in terms of emotions, but certain things get worse depending on different emotions. - 'b' and 'k' sounds become very difficult for him in high stress situations, particularly if it's the first sound in a word, and he is highly unlikely to get over that block. Instead, he will often revise his sentence to avoid the trigger word. - He gets silent blocks in even higher stress situations, particularly those involving fear or anxiety. If it's bad enough, he won't be able to talk at all until he calms down. Often, struggling particularly hard with speaking will cause him to blink in odd patterns, knock a hand against his leg, or clench his jaw. So as I said, I do have this stammer planned out decently (as far as I'm aware), and I'm almost finished with a rough draft. When done, I will edit specifically for the stammer to try to fine-tune in. But I wanted to get input from the stuttering/stammering community specifically, especially because I doubt I'll be able to find any willing sensitivity readers with this specific condition. I always worry about whether I'm wrong to try to write characters with different neurodiversities, of different ethnicities, or with different disabilities. I'm a white female, the only not stereotypical part of me is that I might have autism, and unfortunately that does not apply to this story. But I also feel as though it's important to have representation in the media, and that writing characters of groups that I myself am not a part of could be just as bad as not having any representation at all. That said, what do you think? I know having a stammer is an incredibly challenging condition that can significantly impair quality of life, and obviously, you know this subject more than me. From what I've said (and I'm deeply sorry for how long-winded this is), are there any red flags that I need to be aware of? How would you like to see stammers represented in fiction? Do you have any do's and don'ts? Am I in the wrong for trying to write a stammering character when I myself don't have one? Is it worth it to write at all? Thank you in advance. I will take any and all critism or suggestions very seriously. I really want to do the best I can by you guys.