Not necessarily. I developed a stutter at age 55, believed to be caused by medication, but they’re not certain because I have some anbnormal changes in my brain on MRI scan. I will be seeing a specialist this month. While I do notice variations in my stuttering based on emotions and physical states such as fatigue, I don’t necessarily stutter in all of those situations nor do I have to be tired or agitated to stutter. I point these things out because there is research indicating that there are developmental and organic factors underlying stuttering and it really surprises me how much of the discussion on this subreddit focuses on it just being “I stutter because I’m nervous and I’m nervous because I stutter”. It feels really self-blaming and self-punishing to me. I believe there is much more to be learned about stuttering and the scientific research will continue to shed light on this. Obviously my type of stuttering differs from a developmental stutter or one caused by a traumatic brain injury, etc. But the fact that stuttering can appear in someone who has had a lifetime of fluency and, (based on advanced academic achievement and professional success, unhampered by nervousness), I’ve presumably had a well developed and well functioning brain in the past. This suggests to me that it’s not necessarily true that other types of stuttering are caused by “mental underdevelopment” and “nervousness”. Could some of that be secondary behaviors? Perhaps I’m misunderstanding what you meant by what you said, but the wording made me feel like stuttering was an intellectual deficiency or a character defect and those are prejudicial attitudes that I believe should be dismantled. I joined this subreddit for support and education and honestly, it’s depressing how much self-blame and self-loathing I’ve encountered. Stuttering is viewed by many professionals as a non-neurotypical speech pattern with multiple different factors contributing; including, but not limited to, genetics, brain differences observable on brain scans, functional differences in how the brain interacts with the muscles involved in speaking, later developing conditions as mentioned above. Etc. I want to encourage others to reevaluate their own personal attitudes, learn about the most current theories and research and practices (medications and assistive devices help some PWS). This condition varies greatly and the causes are poorly understood as yet, but clearly multifactorial. For some PWS it is severe enough to be a disability. My hope is that could help lessen shame and boost confidence. I don’t mean this to be a critical lecture. I acknowledge have had such a different life experience than 98% of PWS. Because of that, I am not in a position to judge how anyone feels about their own stuttering or the impact it’s had on their lives. However, having lived a lifetime of fluency until my recent, abrupt development of stuttering, I feel that my perspective is a valid one as well and I feel terrible each time I read the painful experiences and feelings expressed here; things I never lived through and even now, do not encounter beyond an occasional interruption or someone finishing my sentence. Which I promptly and politely address, so far with excellent reception. Yeah, one way of looking at it is that it sucks big time to lose my fluency (and it could even be a harbinger of far worse neurodegenerative disorders) but it also means that I can readily let go of feelings of shame and self-blame. Frustration? Less so. It’s still frustrating. And scary sometimes. But I view this group as neurodivergent rather than defective. F*ck the jerks in the world who have been so consistently cruel. People who mock others with disabilities are lowlifes.