My son started shaking his head from side to side like he was getting his hair out of his face. he was 5. Took him to children's hospital, diagnosed mild tourettes...doc said if he wanted to try the meds he could, if not, he will prob grow out of this. He would switch one tic with another. Clearing his throat, blinking eyes..he is now 19 with no tics......his friends all noticed his tics when he was younger, they just got used to them. So, don't panic, act like you don't notice him doing it. My son said it felt like a "reliefe" after he did his tics....like scratching an itch...........don't make a big deal out of it.