Tell me about your childs tics, and please tell me they passed?

[northerner]

DS is 4.8 and has developed a tic. It started as throat clearing, but is now more high pitched and sounds like a seal. Sometimes he adds a deep throat click to the end of it.

Tonight he was having his milk and cookies in front of the TV and he did it constantly for 12 minutes. I timed him.

I have looked on the internet as I am very worried it is something serious, or Tourrettes maybe

Am hoping it is a transient tic, as it is more prominent when he is relaxing, rather than excited or stressed. He does not do it whilst asleep. He's had it for around 5 weeks now.

Any thoughts?

I don't know much about this, although I know mt brother had a number of nervous tics when a child and so did I. I don't know whether it's normal or due to stress or anything. My 4yo ds bites his nails, and I worry that it might mean he is worried or unhappy, but I don't know why he should be.

So I'm pretty much useless on this, but I'm bumping it anyway

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Thanks greensleeves. Do you know what you/brothers tics were? Or how long they lasted?

I had a "nervous cough" one and a throat-clearing one for a while - I think they lasted several months and I grew out of them. My brother had a compulsive blinking tic I think, which did pass after a while, and also another sort of head twitch which he still does sometimes if he is nervous or upset. We never had any investigation or anything like that, it was put down to stress/nerves. We were "highly-strung". It's only now that I begin to question that, because I don't see how ds1's nail-biting could be a nervous/stress-related thing, at least I hope it isn't!

DS (age 3) has had loads of transient tics - each lasting about a couple of months. He went through the throat clearing one. The worst was constantly pushing his imaginary hair out of his eyes (he has really short hair) so was forever putting food or paint or earth on his forehead. Current one is pulling up his trousers which are not falling down. He'll pull them up at least 15 times during each meal even though they can't possibly be falling down while he's seated!

So the throat-clearing one is quite common then!

Bumping this in case anyone else has any experience/ideas.

My sister had some as a child
( pulling up her trousers, a lot of eye tics, nostrils, throat etc...). but they appeared after my parents' divorce as she was only 8 (I was only a teenager so it didn't really affect me that much as it was amicable).
They disappeared about 5 years ago (she's 25 now) when she realised why she had them (stress etc...).
My dad has REALLY big ones (so please don't think it's tourette) and a lot of them, throat thing, clearing his nose especially when stressed. And he's a lovely, balanced, fit, loved and happy man with a great sense of humour.
My cousin also had tics as a child (the seal thing sounds familiar) and eye twitching.
I really wouldn't worry about it, I was surrounded by people with tics in my family and we just saw them as normal. It could be genetic I suppose.
They are just signs that the person is a lovely and sensitive person, and it's basically their response to stress when someone else (like me) would be snappy or irritable.
Also they could just be a phase and last a few months. A lot of children go through them at some point in their life.

DS1 tic's and it started with a small flick of the head, then a squeek, it progressed to a clap, clicking his fingers, throat clearing, a seal noise, a kind on horse like naaaay and so on, he also repeats things like the last word you say to him or sentancies.
We now know he has Tourettes, he is 10 and is copeing really well with it, (and with the few idiots who micky take).
If you are worried see your GP, aslo speak to the school.