I'm interested by this. I wonder if the tics you're noticing are accessory behaviors (physical movements that accompany some moments of stuttering). Without seeing him its difficult to know. But given that they are not consistent (edit -- they change from cycle to cycle) I'm inclined to think they are accessory behaviors and not an actual tic. I've not known a tic to be cyclic like that. Of course, neither have I known stuttering to be consistently cyclic. It will be interesting to see how his stuttering continues. Will this be a consistent trend in his life, or will it "stabilize."