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From: Ken St. Louis
Date: 04 Oct 2010
Time: 09:34:22 -0500
Remote Name: 157.182.15.31
Hello Tom, Hmmm. I completely agree with your first alternative, but I believe it would be another example of the sort I listed, i.e., cases of stuttering with neurophysiological origin but without currently available evidence of genetic influence. Your second alternative is interesting and hearkens to the so-called "monster study" at the University of Iowa where an attempt to create stuttering in orphans did not create stuttering but ALLEGEDLY created hesitancy and concern about speech. That certainly is possible. But I was not ruling out a purely environmental etiology, even if extremely rare. The longer I've been working in this field, and it's been a long time now, the more I have learned NEVER TO SAY "NEVER." I cannot confirm this since the person who told me is deceased, but--if true--a man once bet a well known leader in stuttering (also deceased) that the leader could not make him stutter. The leader reportedly took the bet and won! I don't know what was done. <smile> Ken