Nervous ticks in children

[MareQ]

I would think it could be a symptom of OCD, but I know several toddlers who love to line things up. DS lines pillows up down the hallway. Both he and my 3 year old cousin line up their toy cars. And I used to babysit a little girl who would line up the halves of plastic Easter Eggs.

Yeah my little guy does that (3) and he has NO issues at all He lined them up by size, then will line them up by color, then back to being lined up by size etc.

 

[kdalpha]

I have read all of your posts. I found it interesting that someone mentioned the ADD meds, as I am 30 yrs old, and the product of the first generation on Ritalin. I started taking Ritalin in the 5th grade and the nervous ticks began...lets just say they never stopped, even after the meds. ITs a horrible thing. Sometimes its my eyes or I am constantly flexing my arms or legs, anyway...I KNOW it was a side effect of Ritalin and wish my parents knew more about it before I went on it. As for controling them, not something you really can do, just try not to point it out as home should be the safe haven for kids. Ask the dr what you can do, but most of it is stress related...try yoga classes for kids and adults, calming activities, take away the video games and stress naps! I seem to love a hot bath at the end of the day, maybe for kids this would be cool with bubbles and candles and they might get into the relaxation part...not sure, do some research...good luck

And dont worry about the ADD stuff...I am getting my PhD. ADD kids are just fine, most are CEOs of major fortune 500 companies and after living near Wall St, you would be amazed how many people with ticks I see around town. Nothing a good drink cant solve, thats why I encourage parents to find something that helps the kids relax.

 

[PigletsPal]

My middle son also had tic's: clearing of the throat, blinking of the eyes, upper lip movement (almost like Elvis). He was dx with a mild case of touretts. Kids in his class use to make fun of him.... He was also dx with ADHD and the med did help some of the tic's. It's been about 6 years now and he only has the clearing of the throat.

 

[jennyl772003]

My son has also been diagnosed with mild tourettes. Contrary to what most people think, it's not about swearing uncontrollably. It really is a tic disorder that has both motor and vocal tics. Vocal tics would be something like grunting or throat clearing. My son started having tics when he was quite young, and they just kept getting more and more noticable as time went on.

We ended up taking him to a neurologist who did some tests to rule out seizures. There are medications that can be prescribed to control the tics, but only if the tics are very bad.

 

[Airb330]

My son has also been diagnosed with mild tourettes. Contrary to what most people think, it's not about swearing uncontrollably. It really is a tic disorder that has both motor and vocal tics. Vocal tics would be something like grunting or throat clearing. My son started having tics when he was quite young, and they just kept getting more and more noticable as time went on.

We ended up taking him to a neurologist who did some tests to rule out seizures. There are medications that can be prescribed to control the tics, but only if the tics are very bad.

Yes, thank you. I have a mild version of it as well. I don't curse loudly for no reason (though my iPhone might make me lose it at the Apple Store...but that is not the Tourettes haha). I took something when I was around 7-10 and it made me gain a lot of weight. It took a few doctors to diagnose, I awas mostly diagnosed with ADD, but the neurologist had the correct diagnosis. Lost the weight in college, but the medicine really just tranquilized me. I still have the urge to do some mild tics, but I just deal with them. I refuse to take medicine even though something may help.

Imagine having to itch. Sometimes you can hold it off, but eventually you itch it. That's kinda how the tics feel with me anyway.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My 17yo son has Tourette Syndrome, so I understand your fears. It started for him when he was 6yo, in first grade. He had various motor and vocal tics, which lasted over a year (important for that diagnosis). I was quite upset when he was diagnosed with it when he was in 3rd grade. We've tried medication on and off, but at his age now it's his decision. He was on meds for ADD at one point that made his tics much worse. He's a well adjusted, very outgoing young man who also has TS. He is my hero in the way he handles it. Really, truly. He's incredibly brave, still gets up in front of groups of people, and does what he wants in spite of the tics. People love him, both kids his age and adults.

I hope you get some answers soon.

 

[bumbershoot]

OP, did you ever get this figured out?

As a (former) chiropractor, I couldn't help but read the description from that point of view. Coudln't help but wonder if he had had a fall recently, and one of his very top vertebrae had gotten a tiny bit out of line, and his body wasn't quite able to get it back. The opening the mouth could be a discomfort in the jaw, could be diagnosed as TMJ, but that also goes along with having the very first vertebra subluxated (tiny movement, per the chiropractic definition) and the body trying to get itself "right". Then that going away but getting upper respiratory symptoms would be absolutely classic as the body's response to not having that area back to its normal.

So I would have wanted to take a kiddo with that group of symptoms to a gentle chiropractor who knows how to work kindly with kids. If not that, a Cranio Sacral Therapist, who is generally also a chiro or a massage therapist (it's an extra bit of info and credentials that generally can only be done by someone who already has a "license to put their hands on people", LOL).

 

[chellejones5]

Hi! I am very interested in all of the comments about the children with ticks. My son is 7 years old and has developed a pretty major motor tick within the past 2 or so years. It started out as just shaking of the hands and jumping on one foot, but now is much worse with the whole upper body involved. His teacher has called me in to tell me she was afraid he was having a seizure at one point. His ped. put him on one rx, and now we are seeing a child neur. that has put him on clonazepam, which did not help at all, now has suggested a $300 rx called Risperdal, for autism, which i told him i cannot afford,so he then prescribed Tofranil which is for bedwetting??? Im so confused and just want to help him. He is really getting alot worse and it is very obvious to everyone. He goes into like a transe and you really have to get his attention to get him out. But, i do tell it is when he is excited about something, nervous, or does really good at something. What do I do?

Thanks

 

[auntie]

When I saw this post it sooo reminded me of when my older son was the very same age. He was six and moving his eyes quickly from one side to the other. It was wierd, and I asked him what it was he was doing..thinking maybe he had an allergy or was uncomfortable. He said the same thing..he just "couldn't help it". I was concerned and took him to the dr. of course. The pediatrician explained that almost everyone has some type of "tick". Some are just more obvious than others. That there are probably things I did too, and wasn't even aware of. My son's was just more noticeable. He advised us to try to ignore it as best we could. I'm happy to say..it did stop..not right away, but it stopped. I wouldn't be too concerned about your son just yet. Of course I'd keep an eye on it and see how it goes, but I don't think it's all that unusual for kids to do this. I'm not trying to minimize your concerns..but also not run for medication just yet either. I know easy for me to say....been a while since I've had a 6 year old..our youngest is 16. Just know you are not alone ...lots of company!


_____________________

 

[auntie]

Hi! I am very interested in all of the comments about the children with ticks. My son is 7 years old and has developed a pretty major motor tick within the past 2 or so years. It started out as just shaking of the hands and jumping on one foot, but now is much worse with the whole upper body involved. His teacher has called me in to tell me she was afraid he was having a seizure at one point. His ped. put him on one rx, and now we are seeing a child neur. that has put him on clonazepam, which did not help at all, now has suggested a $300 rx called Risperdal, for autism, which i told him i cannot afford,so he then prescribed Tofranil which is for bedwetting??? Im so confused and just want to help him. He is really getting alot worse and it is very obvious to everyone. He goes into like a transe and you really have to get his attention to get him out. But, i do tell it is when he is excited about something, nervous, or does really good at something. What do I do?

Thanks

I can't offer any insights..but wanted to tell you that I'm sorry this is happening to your child, and offer my support. What is it that the nuerologist said the medication is for..did he have a diagnosis of some type for you?

 

[Alex2kMommy]

About a year ago my then 6yo son began developing a few tics. At first it was an infrequent pull at the corner of his mouth, then it became more dramatic and happened more frequently. There was another tic as well, but I don't remember what it was now, but it might have been blinking. One seemed to begin just as the other was fading out.

I remember reading somewhere at the time that kids, especially boys at this age, often develop temporary tics. Sure enough, my son's eventually went away. They lasted a few months each perhaps?

I hope it turns out to be nothing, but I think it's a good idea to speak with someone if you're concerned.

 

[ears2BWV]

First of all I have to say hang in there. My son is now 14, and I could have wrote your message when my son was 7. My son was having the severe tics at that age as well. He even managed to tic so bad one weekend that he dislocated his neck. I could go on and on. Now fast forward 7 years and I can honestly say things are not so bad. Please stay with a neurologist during this rough period. I would recommend a second opinion as well, just for eace of mind. My son ended up with a diagnosis of paroxysmal seizures or simply tourette's.
The hard part is surviving the peak time of symptoms ( for boys I believe it is about 8). I can't say people didn't stare, actually I think relatives are the worst. It was explained to us that kids will actually tic most with people they are most comfortable with, so take comfort that you are probably seeing the worst. We were fortunate that during this time God graced us with the most compassionate teachers.
We tried many drugs as well. I know many people are totally against this, but like I mentioned, the tics were causing physical problems, so for a while we were not left with many options. Watch the side effects closely. Most of them just cause sleepiness, but watch for character changes as well.
I remember a website when this was at it's peak called Tourette's now what, or tourettes so what. I am not sure if it is still out there, but this site was fantastic. Honest answers to a lot of misconceptions. Real good info w/o for the real Mom out there.
I can tell you though that kids get pretty adaptive. My son can now hide verbal tics with a little fake cough, full upper body tics with a fake stretch. I can also tell you that the tics have decreased at least 80-90% over the years. This did not happen overnight, or w/o problems, but things will get better.
I am not always so swell about hopping on the internet, but I will try a little better for a while. Pick a good friend or two and just lean on them for a while. I found my husband who was normally very supportive was somewhat embarassed when the tics were at their peaks. We can now look back at this time and chuckle over a few incidents. Hang in there, it truly gets better with nothing more than time!!!

 

[ScanHard]

My first and probably longest post ever....

It is sad to read so many stories about children suffering from ticks. I was born in the 70's and I have memories of dad smacking me in the head to try and stop me from blinking. I also remember the stories he would tell people about my ticks and it always seemed as though he didn't see it as a problem I had to deal with, rather it was a problem cause his little boy looked abnormal when he was around people.

I'm not having a stab at my dad. It really was just a sign of those times. Parents didn't have the luxury of information that we do today and therefore in some ways they got away with so much. Ignorance can be bliss and for their generation in some ways it may have been...

Now I'm 35 and I'm sad to say that many of the ticks I had growing up have stayed with me. As people continue to point out they come and go, both in severity and variety. My best times are when I just forget about them and then they seem to go away for a good long while. Forgetting about them has now become hard all over again….

Having grown up with ticks you might think I'd be ever so understanding when it came to my own children, right. Well I am not so sure?

I always tell stories about how badly my parents dealt with the problem. I mean if you know anything about ticks you know it's probably best to ignore them. But I think people tolerate things differently. I know my wife and my mother would be able to tolerate a child with ticks much better than say me or my dad ever could. That isn't to say I'm not compassionate, hell If I could I would take all of my kids ticks and add them to the ones I already have, and I would do it in a heart beat.

7 years ago I was blessed with a beautiful young daughter. I was in love all over again. I always imagined her to be perfect and nothing was ever going to change that for me, but then it did. By the age of 4 she started losing weight and over the coarse of 2 years and many visits to hospital she was eventually diagnosed with Chrons. During this same period our Son had a fall at Toys R Us. He fell off a slide that was dangerously positioned on a platform above ground level. He came off the slide and fell off a height twisted and got hurt really bad. My sons bruise from this incident swelled up and became rather large. The doctors did all the tests and determined it was a Vascular Malformation. They told us it was not the accident that caused it, rather that you are born with them and that the accident simply made us aware of them. He then had an MRI and they found another in his lower abdomen.

So in a matter of 12 months our world was turned upside down and going through the hospital scene we saw children with much worse. When you put things into perspective you realize that so many young children have deadly diseases and they are in hospital fighting for their lives. We thank GOD our kids will have a chance at a normal life.

After the storm came the calm and when it came it brought about the ticks.
My daughter’s treatment for Chrons initially consisted of a 12 week liquid diet where she litterly was not allowed to eat a damn thing. That's right, nothing. And as you can imagine it was heart wrenching. She was expected to consume 2 littres of liquid daily(Nutrison). The doctors said there would be no way we could get her to do this without feeding her liquid via a nasal tube. We proved them wrong. To everyone’s amazement this amazing little 4 year old drank every last drop for 12 weeks. It wasn't easy but we worked together as a team.

During the liquid intake she began grunting, we thought it was post nasal drip or the residue from the Nutrison that bothered her throat. But unfortunately 6 months after the event the grunting continued and then the sniffing started and stayed even after the flu was gone. Then it seemed to go away but then our little boy started moving his neck and shoulders around really strangely. Having had ticks before I was expecting the worst. Then he started blinking and then it went away, as did my daughters ticks.

Then several weeks ago my son started doing what I thought was yawning every 10 seconds. After a while I realized he had a tick and was opening and closing his mouth. Then my daughter started blinking and I was worried my son would copy her. Then she slowly stopped blinking but he started. Only now he was combining blinking, rolling of the eyes and looking into the sky way too often.

Then it happened, I snapped and I told him off. Yep that's right I did exactly what my dad did to me. I didn't hit him and I never will but I verbally hit him with stuff that no way was going to help him. Stuff like "what will your friends thiink", "You look silly", "find a twitch that is not visible" and I behaved in this way for several days. The poor little thing didn't even know he was doing it. Yesterday I walked away and had a long hard look at myself and was saddened to think I dealt with it in such a bad way.

Right now I'm struggling to deal with it. But I do know that the approach we take has to work for us, that is our entire family. It is very well and good to say just ignore it but what if your personality finds it hard to ignore?

What if the mere sight of your kids ticks triggers your own. Seeing someone with ticks has always frightened me because I know that it reminds me of things I taught myself to forget about.

The best advice I’ve read so far but it can also be the hardest to practice…

Jerseylicious

“As far as the appearance of your son to others, and not wanting him labeled as 'weird' or 'different', a big part of that depends on you. My DD's tics are mildly noticable, not major. But when she does them, I am matter-of-fact with people and simply say "Oh, it's just a tic disorder, and she feels like she has to do it, but she's fine!" If you are ok and nonchalant about it, others will be too. If you make it an 'embarrasing' problem, others will treat it that way as well. Be as normal as you can about it.”

And this is what I'm going to do.....
But sadly for them we can't solve the mental challenges that lie ahead for them. It really is challenging and painfull. It's something I remember being concious about all the time while I was growing up. I only hope it goes away for both my kids.



Sorry bout the long post but I feel better having gotten it out.

 

[Jerseylicious]

ScanHard:

I was very flattered that someone like you found my advice as something good. I sympathize with your problem, and feel you are a man to admit what you have said to your son, and that you were perhaps not so correct in doing so. We all have to deal with how we were raised, and sometimes our parents 'come out' in us, and we say and do things just like our parents did that we ourselves couldn't stand! That's just nature. It's what we do with it that counts. Parents make mistakes too, and I often apologize to my daughter outright, because I don't want her ever thinking I'm perfect or I can do no wrong. I, like everyone else, get in nasty moods, and take it out on her sometimes when it had nothing at all to do with her. So then I show I was wrong and apologize to her, hopefully at the same time showing her how to apologize for any mistakes she will make.

You're totally right when you look at other children's deadly diseases. It sure does put things in perspective. Sometimes problems look big until you compare them with other's. Then you thank God for what you have, and what you DON'T have.

Thank you for sharing your story. My DD is now 9 and still her tics come & go. They are always there, but just change all the time. But like I mentioned, our complete circle of friends is fully aware of the situation, and no one things anything of it because we're all so open about it.

Best of wishes to your son, and also your daughter! What an amazing story that was! She sounds like a great little girl. I'm sure it must've been tough for you, no doubt.

Keep in touch with us!

OH...P.S....Were you specifically diagnosed with Tourette's, or Chronic Tic Disorder or anything?

 

[TaraPA]

I'm so glad to have found this thread. I've thought of starting a thread ike this myself several times. DS11 has had tics for about 4 years now. They used to come & go, but for the past year they are constant. And 2-3 tics at the same time. They are all facial and/or verbal. It breaks my heart to see him doing this, sometimes every 10-15 seconds for a good few minutes. Our pediatrician has been aware of it & just recently referred us to a pediactric neurologist. They're hard to come by in this area, we have to wait until mid-September for the first available appointment! There is a lot of diagnosed OCD in the family, and he does show a lot of signs of OCD, but I'm not a professional. But I'm guessing that will come up at the neurologist's office.

Glad to see I'm not alone!

 

[rutgers1]

As I type this, I am sitting in my office and my son, who is in the next room, is clearing his throat every three seconds. It is driving me nuts, so much so that I decided to do some research on the internet. As luck would have it, the first site to come up for my search was a site that I already visit daily - disboards.com. What a surprise!

My son is currently 9. When he was going into kindergarten, he suddenly developed an odd tick whereby he would have to not only touch everything he passed, but often had to touch it with his chin. One time he even tried to touch a bathroom urinal with his chin! I found that they generally came during high stress times, particularly with the start of the new school year.

Well, with school on the horizon, he started in with a new one this year - throat clearing. It somewhat comes and goes over the course of the day, but when it is there, it is THERE. It is very, very annoying. If he is talking, it seems to disappear. But if he is just sitting there watching TV or playing a video game, the throat clearing kicks in big time.

I am going to give it a few weeks to see if things calm down. Time did the trick last year, so hopefully it will do it again.

 

[TaraPA]

Hu Rutgers - hang in there. DS11 has had the exact same tic as yours (minus the chin touching) - and ironically his started the week of kindergarten too. At that point they used to last 2-3 weeks, then he'd be fine for a few months, then a new tic would appear for 2-3 weeks, and so on & so forth. For the last year he has displayed 2-3 tics at the same time, and they are constant. 24/7 with no breaks. If one tic stops, a new one starts within a day or 2. We go to a pediatric neurologist this Tuesday, but I'm really not expecting them to say anything other than "yes he has anxiety & transient tics are his way of releasing them." But at least we will hopefully rule out anything more serious.

To any other OPs that have seen the neurologist - what should I expect at this 1st visit? I didn't hear them say this was the full neuro work-up - I've seen that the work-up can be half a day long or more.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

HUGS to you rutgers1. The vocal tics can be annoying to deal with. I hate to use the word annoying when talking about something our children do that can't be helped, but it really can be sometimes. Try not to let it show so your son knows how it's affecting you. Not saying you are, just something I've had to be aware of. My son used to be a lot worse in stressful situations. In first grade we became aware of the tics, when he had a very uptight teacher, but in second they were hardly ever noticable. His second grade teacher was very kind and nurturing and Ben felt safe in her class.

BTW, my son just moved into his dorm and started classes. His tics are still noticable, however it doesn't seem to slow him down socially at all. It's wonderful to know that he's handling his challenges head-on.

I hope your son's tics settle down.

 

[Disney Doll]

I know how difficult it is to ignore. Before the letter tracing thing he would count to 20 before closing the door. It was so heart breaking to watch especiall with him being 4 and it sometimes would take him a few times to get to 20 without mistakes. I was really glad when he stopped dping the counting thing. It has become easier to ignore although he doesn't do the head thing as frequently because he doesn't watch that much tv so in your circumstances I can understand how difficult it would be to ignore.

This sounds a bit like some OCD behavior. Has he been checked?

With regard to all these stories, it seems more than coincidental that most people's tics seemed to start around age 6 or 7. Does something specific physically (ie- a hormone "rush" or something like that) happen to kids at that age which could trigger the tic-like behavior, other than the obvious school anxiety???

 

[Liberty Belle]

My son did that open mouth thing for a few weeks and then stopped. I never noticed any other ticks until recently (he's 15) where he does a funny thing with his arms if he gets excited.