Genetic Studies: Possibilities and Limitations Related to Stuttering

Commentary by Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D., Founder and President of Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI), a nonprofit center dedicated to the investigation and treatment of stuttering. 

The issue of genetics in stuttering is important and it deserves to be understood in terms of what genetic analyses can and cannot do in improving our understanding of stuttering. The scientific and popular enthusiasm for modern DNA analyses is generating a possibly problematic situation with the seemingly magical expectation that the human condition can be understood almost solely through genetic analyses.

Stuttering: Generating Fluent Speech as a Tool for Discovering the Cause(s) of Stuttering

By Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D., Founder and President
Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI)

There are a number of observations regarding stuttering and manipulations of physical conditions that reliably generate fluent speech. It would seem reasonable to state that, with these observations on conditions that generate fluent speech, nature is pointing clearly and strongly to a way to advance our understanding of stuttering as a physically based disorder. 

As research scientists focus on determining the cause of stuttering, it is important to examine how the brain is involved in stuttering. Yet, it is premature to rush to the simple conclusion that the brain is "causing" stuttering.

All human behavior is associated with brain functioning of one type or another -- including stuttering.