Boston (SmartAboutHealth) - Researchers have announced a link they have found between an autism gene, and the development of a language disorder which many kids suffer from.

The study was led by Simon Fisher of the University of Oxford, and began by focusing on the gene FOXP2.

The study focused on a total of 184 families and their genes.

They were hoping to try and figure out what lead to the development of this speech disorder known as specific language impairment.

The disorder is very common among kids as it hits 7% of all pre-school children.

What they found when the study began is that the FOXP2 gene led them to a different gene known as CNTNAP2.

They found that kids with this gene, CNTNAP2, were most likely to develop the disorder.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.