Independent Speech, LLC

The Stuttering Gene

February 12, 2010 at 4:07 AM | Posted in Stuttering | Leave a comment
Tags: Fluency, online speech therapy, speech therapy, Stuttering

The world was abuzz yesterday with the announcement that researchers have identified the first gene mutations linked to stuttering which affects approximately 3 million Americans.  In the article published on Medicinenet.com Dr. Robert Marion said “This is the first gene information that will tell somebody that they’re predisposed to develop this type of stuttering,”

While this is not the cause for everyone who experiences stuttering (these mutations cause about 9% of stuttering cases) it may spark and prompt further research into the causes of other types of stuttering.

Knowing the cause does not eliminate the need for speech therapy according to Dr. Marion who said  “At one point, we may be able to find these mutations and predict that this child with this mutation in this particular gene is likely to go on to develop stuttering.  The thinking would be that if we got a kid in speech therapy early on in life, it might prevent this from happening.”

Rather than eliminating the need for speech therapy, Dennis Drayna thinks it may help therapy become more effective.  He said “Current therapies are limited in their effectiveness because they’re all undertaken without understanding of what causes the disorder. Now that we know what causes stuttering, we can think about more strategic ways of designing therapies.”

The article continues by describing which mutated genes are suspected and what they do normally.  At this time, this is exiting news but further research and experiments need to be completed so that researchers have a better picture of why mutations with the suspected genes lead to stuttering and if there can be a medical treatment for this such as enzyme replacement.  That is all in the future but an exciting and bright future for those who stutter and their families.

At this time, speech therapy can be very effective in helping to reduce the frequency and duration of stuttering moments.  To learn more about speech therapy for stuttering please speak with a speech pathologist.  You can reach us at 877-480-7913 or by visiting our website through the link below.

Online Speech Therapy provided by Independent Speech ~ www.independentspeech.com