Is stuttering in our DNA?(etic aspect a step further by geneotypin...),Health

Date:11/6/2008

etic aspect a step further by geneotyping blood samples collected from Israeli, Swedish, and American families with multiple cases of stuttering. This complex study, headed by Professor Nancy Cox, a team member from the University of Chicago School of Medicine, had a branch in Israel, run by Dr. Ruth Ezrati and Professor Minka Hildesheimer, both associates of Tel Aviv University. The researchers were able to identify areas on several chromosomes which indicated a linkage to stuttering, leading the scientists to hope that identification of specific genes underlying stuttering might be isolated.

These findings were published recently in the American Journal of Human Genetics and in the Journal of Communication Disorders.

"The data supports our previous conclusions about the role of genetics in stuttering. Progress in this area will produce some of the most important information in this research in decades," says Prof. Yairi.

Intervene Early, But Don't Panic

Though stuttering can affect children of all ages, boys are three times more likely to stutter than girls, says Prof. Yairi. He suggests that parents take their children to a speech pathologist within one or two months of the onset of a stutter, though long-term stuttering can be diagnosed only after six to 12 months or so from the stuttering onset.

"All kids exhibit some form of repetition when they are learning to talk, so I would inform parents not to panic if they notice a stutter. Stuttering is a common phenomenon, and most children usually recover," says Prof. Yairi. An early alumnus of Tel Aviv University, he studied at both TAU's Department of Psychology and the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies despite his own severe stutter.

His father, Prof. Yairi notes, had been hoping his son would become an x-ray technician, to avoid having to communicate with people.

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Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University Source:Eurekalert

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