Hi! I stutter but my brother has a much worse stutter than I do. His stutter is similar to how you’re describing your sons. He holds his breath a bit trying to get a word out but he also has a tick with his neck and eyes! His speech has not gotten any better since he was a kid. He’s 27 now. But he has a great paying job, a beautiful loving wife, and a child on the way. Speech therapy didn’t take his stutter away. I don’t want you guys to think it will. BUT, it will help him learn some techniques (slowing down for example), and will also teach him things to NOT do that make your speech worse. For example, avoiding certain words you know you stutter on doesn’t help and can even make it all worse. My brother and I both went to speech therapy our entire childhood. I definitely suggest going to learn these techniques and even build a little confidence there. But just know, some kids grow out of it, but many do not. Especially if your son has it as bad as it sounds and like my brother. So do not give yourself or your son false hope. Just help him learn to love himself and know it’s okay to be different. I found friends who loved me despite my stuttering and was patient with me. Other kids were mean and annoyed by it, and made fun of me. Your son will run into those kids, unfortunately. But just remember even with a bad speech impediment, he can live an amazing beautiful successful life. He will find people who will be patient with him, and love him, and love being around him. Kids can be jerks, so as a parent, just remember to love and support him. Those bad days are going to be bad, but they won’t last forever.