The range of effective treatments available to people in speech and language therapy jobs could change significantly thanks to new research into the potential causes of stuttering.

Scientists working in the US have discovered that one in ten cases of the common speech disorder may be traced to an inherited condition, which could respond to treatment with drugs. The study was published in the New England Journal Of Medicine.

The research was conducted by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, a central organisation which informs the work and practices of those in speech and language therapy jobs in America. The institute's director, James Battey, noted that the study was the first to pinpoint specific gene mutations as a potential cause of stuttering.

These findings corroborate information posted on the Great Ormond Street Hospital website - Children First for Health, which states that stuttering usually runs in families and is more common in boys. By identifying specific genetic mutations, future research may be able to identify how the genes are passed down from parents and how gender affects the likelihood of inheriting them.

Battey said that the research may expand the treatment options available to speech and language therapists who work alongside children with stuttering problems beyond the elocution and confidence building lessons they currently use.

The research shows that drugs and medicines could be targeted at the genes responsible, providing a direct treatment for 10% of cases. However, in the study's conclusion, the team behind the findings acknowledged that the "task of joining the dots between genes and stuttering is just beginning".