Researchers from the University of Sydney are conducting a world-first study on newborn babies to investigate whether it is possible to predict whether a child will stutter even before they can talk. Sydney University's Australian Stuttering Research Centre are conducting the study in an attempt to discover the cause of stuttering, using 20 babies with a family history of the disorder and 20 without. 17-week old Levi Crellin was the first baby to take part in the study, after his older sister Zoe suffered from a debilitating stutter from the time she was two years old. 17-week old Levi Crellin was the first baby to take part in the study on the causes of stuttering . 'It got to the point where she refused to speak, she would just point at things,' said Levi's mother, Naomi Crellin. 'She was shy and withdrawn and frustrated, and she didn't want to speak to anyone her age because they couldn't understand her,' Naomi told Daily Mail Australia. 'We didn't want that for Levi, it's just such a formative time and we didn't want him to be disabled by a stutter, so we agreed to be part of the study,' she said. Levi underwent the first of many MRI scans, which will continue over the next six years, just two days ago, under the watchful eye of his mother and researchers at the Centre. 'It's very hard to scan babies because you can't exactly tell a baby to sit still, you have to wait for them to fall asleep, and even then the loud noises from the machine might wake them up,' Naomi said. The researchers will scan the newborns in an MRI machine in order to detect transmission issues in the parts of the brain which relate to speech. Levi's older sister Zoe (left) developed a stutter when she was just two years old . Levi underwent his first scan on the 27th of January, watched by his mother Naomi Crellen (far right) The study will scan 40 babies over a six-year period to gain information about the causes of stuttering . Director of the Research Centre, Professor Mark Onslow, said that the study could revolutionise both diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. 'It will take us a step closer to understanding the cause of stuttering and could potentially lead us to discover more effective early-intervention treatments,' said Professor Onslow. 'This would be a huge breakthrough as stuttering is only noticeable when a child starts stringing words together at two to three-years-of-age and the current window for effective treatment is so small.' Stuttering has been reported to affect one in nine children by the age of four, and approximately 70% of those diagnosed have a family history of stuttering. Naomi said that not only did her daughter develop a stutter, but her father also had the condition. 'We're a bilingual family as well, and there is a link between that and stuttering, so really it was a double whammy for us,' she said. Director of the Research Centre, Professor Mark Onslow (above), said that the study could revolutionise both diagnosis and treatment of the disorder . Stuttering has been reported to affect one in nine children by the age of four, and approximately 70% of those diagnosed have a family history of stuttering . Levi's brain will continue to be monitored through regular MRI scans, in order to provide early information on what the causes of stuttering could be. 'Considering the advancements in medicine, it shocked me that so little was known about the causes of stuttering,' said Naomi. Jim Lagopoulos, Associate Professor at the Brain and Mind Research Institute, said that it was not clear whether stuttering was a cause or an effect of problems with the transmission of information along fibres of the brain. 'We currently don’t know if the structural problems we see in the brain are present prior to the onset of stuttering, or result from stuttering,' said Associate Professor Lagopoulos. 'This is because previous studies have only examined the brains of older children and adults who have already developed a stutter,' he said. Naomi said that she was keen to do anything to help aid the research process. 'After we took Zoe in for treatment, she improved dramatically within three months, and now you wouldn't be able to tell,' she said. Naomi said the study would be important to provide information early to start treating the issue before it became permanent. 'The study will provide a lot of information, and this is the next step in the process,' she said. Levi's brain will continue to be monitored through regular MRI scans . 'We didn't want him to be disabled by a stutter, so we agreed to be part of the study,' Naomi said .
Levi Crellin is the first baby to take part in a study on stuttering .
His grandfather and older sister both suffered from stuttering .
His mother said that she didn't want him to go through the trauma .
The study is being conducted by the University of Sydney .
Newborn babies will undergo MRI scans over six years .
Researchers are hoping to discover the causes of stuttering .
Researchers from the University of Sydney are conducting a world-first study on newborn babies to investigate whether it is possible to predict whether a child will stutter even before they can talk. Sydney University's Australian Stuttering Research Centre are conducting the study in an attempt to discover the cause of stuttering, using 20 babies with a family history of the disorder and 20 without. 17-week old Levi Crellin was the first baby to take part in the study, after his older sister Zoe suffered from a debilitating stutter from the time she was two years old. 17-week old Levi Crellin was the first baby to take part in the study on the causes of stuttering . 'It got to the point where she refused to speak, she would just point at things,' said Levi's mother, Naomi Crellin. 'She was shy and withdrawn and frustrated, and she didn't want to speak to anyone her age because they couldn't understand her,' Naomi told Daily Mail Australia. 'We didn't want that for Levi, it's just such a formative time and we didn't want him to be disabled by a stutter, so we agreed to be part of the study,' she said. Levi underwent the first of many MRI scans, which will continue over the next six years, just two days ago, under the watchful eye of his mother and researchers at the Centre. 'It's very hard to scan babies because you can't exactly tell a baby to sit still, you have to wait for them to fall asleep, and even then the loud noises from the machine might wake them up,' Naomi said. The researchers will scan the newborns in an MRI machine in order to detect transmission issues in the parts of the brain which relate to speech. Levi's older sister Zoe (left) developed a stutter when she was just two years old . Levi underwent his first scan on the 27th of January, watched by his mother Naomi Crellen (far right) The study will scan 40 babies over a six-year period to gain information about the causes of stuttering . Director of the Research Centre, Professor Mark Onslow, said that the study could revolutionise both diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. 'It will take us a step closer to understanding the cause of stuttering and could potentially lead us to discover more effective early-intervention treatments,' said Professor Onslow. 'This would be a huge breakthrough as stuttering is only noticeable when a child starts stringing words together at two to three-years-of-age and the current window for effective treatment is so small.' Stuttering has been reported to affect one in nine children by the age of four, and approximately 70% of those diagnosed have a family history of stuttering. Naomi said that not only did her daughter develop a stutter, but her father also had the condition. 'We're a bilingual family as well, and there is a link between that and stuttering, so really it was a double whammy for us,' she said. Director of the Research Centre, Professor Mark Onslow (above), said that the study could revolutionise both diagnosis and treatment of the disorder . Stuttering has been reported to affect one in nine children by the age of four, and approximately 70% of those diagnosed have a family history of stuttering . Levi's brain will continue to be monitored through regular MRI scans, in order to provide early information on what the causes of stuttering could be. 'Considering the advancements in medicine, it shocked me that so little was known about the causes of stuttering,' said Naomi. Jim Lagopoulos, Associate Professor at the Brain and Mind Research Institute, said that it was not clear whether stuttering was a cause or an effect of problems with the transmission of information along fibres of the brain. 'We currently don’t know if the structural problems we see in the brain are present prior to the onset of stuttering, or result from stuttering,' said Associate Professor Lagopoulos. 'This is because previous studies have only examined the brains of older children and adults who have already developed a stutter,' he said. Naomi said that she was keen to do anything to help aid the research process. 'After we took Zoe in for treatment, she improved dramatically within three months, and now you wouldn't be able to tell,' she said. Naomi said the study would be important to provide information early to start treating the issue before it became permanent. 'The study will provide a lot of information, and this is the next step in the process,' she said. Levi's brain will continue to be monitored through regular MRI scans . 'We didn't want him to be disabled by a stutter, so we agreed to be part of the study,' Naomi said .
Researchers from the University of Sydney are attempt to discover the cause of stuttering, was the first baby to take part in the study, after his older sister Zoe suffered from a years old. 17-week old Levi Crellin was the first baby to take part in the study on the causes of The study will scan 40 babies over a six-year (above), said that the study could revolutionise regular MRI scans . 'We didn't want him to be