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From: Ken St. Louis
Date: 10/8/03
Time: 10:46:59 AM
Remote Name: 157.182.12.31
Dear Jimmy,
Thanks for your question. I wish I knew the answer to it. Unfortunately, all I can say is that there are cases of late onset of stuttering that we cannot explain. You mentioned some of the common questions that we might ask. Is there a family history of stuttering? Were there any accidents or injuries coincident with the onset of stuttering? Were there any psychological traumas that occurred prior to or near the onset? Of course, we look for these kinds of explanations, but often there is nothing out of the ordinary that can be associated with beginning to stutter.
I never suggest that cause in unimportant. Nevertheless, even if your stuttering had begun, say, after an illness, all we would have is a correlation of two events. We could not possibly know if one actually caused the other.
Yours in the kind of case that get me thinking of new kinds of research projects. If a substantial number of people like yourself could be located close to a laboratory, I could think of lots of comparisons that I would like to make between your histories, your stuttering, your motor behavior, your brain function, etc. and those of more typical stutterers whose stuttering began in their preschool years.
Thanks for your question. Others may have the illusive answer for you, but I doubt it. I hope this helps a little.
The important thing is that you are in therapy and that you are doing well. Best wishes for continued success.
Ken