Some advice needed

Some advice needed Hello all, I am not sure where to turn to so i am posting here. My close friend's kid (he is about 10) has a stutter problem. He isn't sure what to do about it. The kid is really bright (like winning math competitions etc) but this stutter problem is causing him to become really self conscious and depressed. He has gone into a shell. He no longer wants to speak and only points at things. My friend is also depressed because of this. I know that this is probably a life long problem for the kid but are there any tips or resources that i can give him? Does it get better and manageable? Any of you guys have any success stories that i can show him? Any help would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.