Hello again, thanks for all your varying messages. I do agree that this is a habit that GS has got into, my daughter said the same, but they have not been able to find a way to stop it. However, this is a child who is intelligent and goes to a good school, and I don't think shows signs of autism. D said he does not do it at school, so somewhere in his head he does realise that it is inappropriate, but elsewhere the habit has become too ingrained. He does have an older sibling though who is brighter still, and goes to the same school. When I raised this matter with my D yesterday, I forgot to ask what SinL's thoughts are. I will ask when I next speak to them. I am very worried about G doing this in public as it should be a private thing. The idea of a stress ball is a good one, thanks for the suggestion. If I have offended anyone with this post I apologise, I was just looking for some support.