Update on Genetics Research in Stuttering

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Re: Genetics vs. Environment

From: Mark Bulger
Date: 14 Oct 2011
Time: 13:50:30 -0500
Remote Name: 71.126.233.71

Comments

Megan Geneticists allow for far more subtlety in their findings than the average person does. When we find that a trait can be inherited, that allows for a wide range of well-known mechanisms. Sometimes, the inherited trait is always expressed in all progeny. Other times, it is always expressed in a certain percentage of progeny. Sometimes what is inherited is an increased likelihood of showing the trait. Some traits are only seen when multiple genes work together. Other traits are only expressed when something in the environment triggers the existing genetic programming. It is unknown to what degree stuttering is inherited, but the condition is typical of traits that are known to be inherited, and on that basis alone, one would expect it to have a genetic basis. Regarding environmental effects: there's a big difference between causes and modifiers. While environmental conditions may modify the severity of stuttering, there is no reason to think that the environment creates stuttering. That was a pernicious idea that held back stuttering research for decades. Stuttering comes from a biological fault in the speech-generating process - your mother doesn't make you start stuttering.


Last changed: 10/14/11