>I don't think stuttering is in the genes I agree, in my opinion it's a common misconception that there is a 'stutter gene', however there are other genes for example as OP mentioned, a weak immune system that predisposes us to catching lots of colds and ear infections and this in combination with the inability to produce clear-sounding speech could lead to a dysfunctional belief system if a child experiences negative experiences that he misinterprets. For example, if his parents asks to repeat a word then he could interpret it as 'my speech error is a problem and to be avoided' resulting in strong emotions and the need to anticipate stuttering. I explain this better in [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stutter/comments/110b1co/important_to_learn_about_stuttering_how_does_the/) post. Research states that in Children Who Stutter '***anticipation of negative listeners responses***' often bring about speech blocks, whereas in adults it's the '***anticipation of stuttering***'. Some contradictory research states that, making the child focus more on stuttering could in some cases improve fluency. In my opinion: if a parent asks a child to repeat a word and the child develops an attitude that speech errors are okay and needed to improve speech, then the child won't adopt unhelpful strategies: 'avoidance-behaviors, strong emotions or anticipatory anxiety'. So, working on a helpful attitude and belief system (aka confidence, self-efficacy and a positive self-image) are likely more important than working on the habit of unhelpful strategies itself. If therapies focus too much on reducing anxiety then the child could create an unhelpful attitude that he first needs to feel comfortable to freely speak, whereas 80% of people that outgrow stuttering develop an attitude that 'fear' is okay. For example, they change intrusive fear into even-if conditions. The best solution to outgrow stuttering is confidence and to not pay attention to stuttering and listeners responses