kids do grow out of these things ... but not always. i certainly wouldn't wait any longer than into the second school year (this being the first), if the problem persists that long, before seeking help.

what you say about predisposition is true, but predispositions are themselves conditioned by a variety of factors, just for example some unexpected trauma or even normal developmental events, like beginning school, which subjects the child to an abrupt increase in a variety of psycho-social stressors.

'first-aid' approaches to helping through a temporary setback of this nature would include any of a variety of "wellness" strategies, as a more fit physical profile improves the body's ability to deal efficiently with stress. the strategy i find most useful in a wide variety of situations is removal of dairy products (milk and eggs and everything made with them) from the diet. but check your son's habits for unusual favorite foods or other sensitivities, for clues where to intervene.

commonly these are not temporary situations, however. in that case, as has been said already, see a professional. for this type of problem, i'd advise against speech therapy which is in this situation essentially a 'suppressive' regime: even if it 'works,' the psychological causes of the problem will still exist. same is true for most psychotherapies, especially behavioral ones which are also the most popular these days: if you're also following a homeopathic routine, behavioral interventions are working in the opposite direction ... i don't know if they actually antidote remedy action, but they don't help.

and i wouldn't worry about your child feeling there is something wrong: unfortunately, he almost certainly already feels this way. if he has a problem, though, the best thing to do is deal with it directly, seriously, but not hysterically, presenting the view that there are things we do to take care of problems and get on with life. this leads to feeling of mastery, replacing feelings of concern or inadequacy. it teaches good problem solving: 'take care of yourself.'

good luck to you.

__________________
"The need to perform adjustments for covariates...weakens the findings." BMJ Clinical Evidence: Mental Health, (No. 11), p. 95.... It's that simple, guys: bad numbers make bad science.