PURPOSE: What proportion of adult PWS (persons who
stutter) choose fluency and what proportion choose to be free from a need to be fluent in managing their
stuttering, what demographic and stuttering-related variables influence their choice, and how consistent they are in their choice? METHOD: A survey instrument administered over the Internet was used to collect the data. RESULTS: Overall, 8% more of the 216 respondents opted for fluency than freedom. A larger proportion of male PWS and PWS under the age of 30 preferred fluency. Neither nationality nor language background influenced their preference. Those who received no therapy overwhelmingly chose fluency and a slight majority of those with less than five years of therapy preferred fluency. Those with greater than five years of therapy were evenly divided between the two choices. Those who preferred freedom were more consistent in their responses across items than those who opted for fluency. Based on the consistency of responses, 20 and 23 percent of the sample decisively opted for fluency and freedom respectively and 34% in the fluency group and 23% in the freedom group were
ambivalent. CONCLUSION: A majority of PWS appear to benefit from flexible treatment programs with cafeteria style choices.
