Dilbert creator Scott Adams was stricken in 2005 with a rare condition called Spasmodic Dysphonia, which prevented him from speaking in a normal voice. The condition is somewhat bizarre, because sufferers can sometimes sing or speak in unusual circumstances, just not with their normal voices. The condition has struck a variety of famous people (according to Wikipedia), including Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC, and Diane Rehm from NPR.

For Adams, the condition meant he could still speak publicly, sing, or speak to himself while alone. But in normal circumstances his vocal cords would seize up and he simply couldn't speak. And to make it worse, Adams reported that no one has ever recovered from the condition. In late 2006, Adams noticed that he could speak perfectly in rhyme. So he repeated a rhyme ("Jack Be Nimble") over and over, and then...something changed. Since then, he has been able to speak semi-normally. It's not perfect, but he reported in January that he is still in a state of partial recovery.

After the jump, read Adams's report of his original recovery. I would just link to it, but his blog entries from that period have disappeared.

Good News Day


I asked my doctor - a specialist for this condition - how many people have ever gotten better. Answer: zero. While there's no cure, painful Botox injections through the front of the neck and into the vocal cords can stop the spasms for a few months. That weakens the muscles that otherwise spasm, but your voice is breathy and weak.





But have I mentioned I'm an optimist?


My theory was that the part of my brain responsible for normal speech was still intact, but for some reason had become disconnected from the neural pathways to my vocal cords. (That's consistent with any expert's best guess of what's happening with Spasmodic Dysphonia. It's somewhat mysterious.) And so I reasoned that there was some way to remap that connection. All I needed to do was find the type of speaking or context most similar - but still different enough - from normal speech that still worked. Once I could speak in that slightly different context, I would continue to close the gap between the different-context speech and normal speech until my neural pathways remapped. Well, that was my theory. But I'm no brain surgeon.


Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.

Jack jumped over the candlestick.


My brain remapped.

My speech returned.


When I say my brain remapped, that's the best description I have. During the worst of my voice problems, I would know in advance that I couldn't get a word out. It was if I could feel the lack of connection between my brain and my vocal cords. But suddenly, yesterday, I felt the connection again. It wasn't just being able to speak, it was KNOWING how. The knowing returned.



SOURCE: The Dilbert Blog (link currently dead) 10/24/06.

See also: an MSBNC article on the situation.