5 year old son suddenly developed retching cough and finding it hard/impossible to swallow food

[QueensParkWorrier]

Nearly 6 year old son has suddenly started finding it hard to swallow food - chews for ages and sometimes ends up having to spit it out. Also has a wierd retching cough, sometimes when not eating as well as when eating. Gone to ENT consultant and going to have some tests. But thinking it might be more psychological - biscuits somehow seem to go down a bit more easily! Any thoughts? It's all come on very suddenly - he wasn't a fab eater before but this is on another level...

Currently trying to ignore the whole thing and giving him food he likes, but it's pretty worrying, as well as incredibly irritating.

Yes, he seems fine in all other ways and perfectly happy. Just not taking in enough calories!

Yes but, as I say, sweet food seems to go down a bit more easily than savoury. That's what makes me think it's more of a tic than something physical, though maybe there was an organic trigger for it that's made him afraid to swallow.

Not recently, as far as I know. It has all come out of nowhere.