Communication disorders and learning disabilities are a major burden on the educational system and have long-term impact on children as they grow up and enter adulthood. It is important to understand how environmental and genetic factors increase susceptibility for these disorders in hopes of preventing them and/or developing targeted treatments. Our group has conducted a genome-wide study of DNA markers associated with speech production in a cohort of children from Cleveland, OH, USA, and have identified novel genes that are associated with articulation. First, we wish to replicate these findings in the ALSPAC cohort. Second, studies have shown that chemical markers on our DNA, called methylation marks, may influence various learning and behavioral measures. In our cohort of children from Cleveland, we have observed an association between DNA methylation patterns and the ability of children to repeat nonsense and multisyllabic words, and we wish to repeat this analysis in the ALSPAC cohort for independent verification of these findings. Third, we aim to examine how maternal chemical exposures might affect a child’s later development of communication disorders through effects on their DNA. Fourth, as we know that many children are affected with both communication disorders and other learning disabilities, it is important to understand why some children are affected by some disorders and not multiple disorders. There is evidence to suggest that the same genes influence both communication and learning disorders. We seek to better understand those relationships.