Anonymous wrote:I am losing my mind. My son is 11. He clears his throat constantly. He is healthy. No asthma. Athletic. I’ve googled and can only come up with the conclusion that he has a throat clearing tic that apparently is not unheard of at his age. Has anyone else solved this? I can’t stand it.
The advice seems to be to NOT comment on it but that is easier said than done. I need this to stop. Any advice from someone who’s experienced this with their child? This has been going on for awhile.

Try cutting out dairy for a few weeks to see if it clears it up.

For those of you who are sure it is a tic, how do you know? Did you have it diagnosed? I ask because my son is 6 yo and started clearing his throat a couple of months ago. It has has sort of changed into what I would describe as a gulping air swiftly sound. When I have occasionally asked about it, he says he doesn't feel anything in his throat. He's just doing it. Although before he said he did feel as though there was something in his throat.

We have an appointment with an ENT but we are trying to tread carefully in the event that it's a tic induced by anxiety/pandemic.

He did have GERD as an infant so we may check with a gastro depending on what the ENT says.

Anyway, would love to hear how others handled it.

One of my parents has HFA and does this, it’s just a tic. Often when changing modes or transitioning topics or situations. We don’t even notice anymore but it drove my partner crazy when we first started spending time with my family.