I contend that stuttering may be genetic. I stuttered terribly as a child for years. "W's" and "H's" at the beginning of a sentence were fairly tortuous to the degree that I simply quit asking questions altogether for about 5 yrs. At age 40, I finally met my birth father and was stunned to realize that he also stuttered. We joke that it took us forever just to say hello. This was one of many striking coincidences.