We started with quirky behaviors at about 4, and they have changed over time. At first DD would do this weird wiggling of her fingers - constantly, to the point people would ask if she was ok. Then it moved to clicking noises, then clearing her throat, then outright coughing, For a while it was strange faces along with one of these other things. For us it is a clue that something is bothering her, even if she can't express what it is, or has no idea what it is. They are all her coping mechanisms with the situations she finds herself in. They often become more pronounced when she is reading or working on a project. She has also fallen out of chairs while drawing and reading, and paces when talking. She use to do this strange mouthing thing of what I was saying - it was as if she was repeating it to herself instantaneously. My younger DD2 now does the same thing. (It was my mother that brought this little quirk to my attention because it drives her crazy
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When life is great and she is happy, and had her brain activated and engaged we have fewer quirks. I think it is all just part of who she is and how she deals with feeling everything so much more deeply than the rest of us. (She definitely has a sensitivity intensity.) Because of this when we notice an increase, we spend more time talking and cuddling and making sure she is feeling loved and secure with life. It helps a lot, because it often leads to her figuring out what has been bothering her and us getting a better understanding of what's happening inside her brain.
