Does anyone have experience of a child with tics?

[DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult]

Over the last couple of months my dc (10) has began to have some tics.

They bring their shoulders up and twitch their neck back and blink really hard, this repeats between 10-20 times then they are fine.

To start with it happened maybe once every week, this week it has happened multiple times a day.

It's at the point now where I am going to go to the doctor, although I'm unsure what, if anything, they can do.

Does anyone know what can cause this, if there is anything I can do, and how I can possibly help my dc with this. I have literally no experience of this at all.

TIA

My dd developed severe motor tics a few weeks ago.

Go to the doctors, they should refer you to paediatric neurology. More than likely they'll advise a watch and wait approach.

If they start to worsen so that they're affecting their daily living there is medication available. There are some really useful FB groups that can offer excellent advice and support.

www.facebook.com/groups/231699603869788/?ref=share

Magnesium might help reduce them too. Either taken orally or topically in a spray.

Are they feeling stressed by anything or anxious? I had this happen to me for a time when I was seriously stressed out by trying to feed my newborn. It affected one eyebrow, was painful but couldn't stop it. Although I am sorry I don't know what can be done as I stupidly didn't go to the doctors at the time

Thank you so much that is really helpful.

I really hope your dd is ok

DS is a similar age and he gets a facial one that comes when he’s stressed, anxious or over tired. Tends to happen towards the end of term as he finds school hard. Always disappears during the holidays.

Are they feeling stressed by anything or anxious

I have had cancer recently so there has been a lot of stress around, I did wonder if it could be related to that, it just seems to be getting worse as Im getting better and things are less stressful.

Thankd MyCircus maybe it's more common than I realised. Have you taken him to the doctors or just left it?

My DC did, and I went to the doctor as Id scared myself witless googling what he could be. Doc said it's common and can come and go at his age (6). Doc did say it could be stress related and we assumed it was related to my mother dying who my DC were very close to.
After a few months they stopped, but pleased I went to the Docs.
So my advice is not to read up on the internet and even a phone chat with your Doc may help.

Id say the tics lasted approximately 6 months after mum died.

I have googled once, and will not be doing so again, I'll definitely contact the doctors, as they look pretty severe at this point.

Thanks for the reassurance, i hope this is just short term.

My dd developed one when she was 10. It was her right arm, flexing and raising her shoulder. I noticed it but no one else seemed to. One day when she was chatting with me i mentioned it. She said it happened when she was stressed and got very worried. I told her that it didn’t matter and could she say why she was stressed. She was never really able to articulate what was causing her stress but we agreed stress was normal and that everyone felt it.
The last time I saw her do it was about a year ago. She is in secondary school now and seems happy.

I did this as a child (maybe 8 or 9?) and again at about 14. I grew out of it but, even now at the age of 40, if I’m overly stressed or tired they come back.

@DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult sorry to hear you've been having a tough time. Re the tic, while I agree that a quick chat to GP is a good idea, I hope that I can reassure you a bit - two of my DCs had tics at the same age and in fact DS had four different ones over the space of about four years. They eventually disappeared, he went to Cambridge and now has a very stressful life as a vet! What helped him overcome the tix was a) we all ignored them and so he worries less about them and b) he got into sport and that really helped. Hope that helps a bit.

Hi OP! My eldest (now 18) had tics around the age of 5-7, which he outgrew. He is neurotypical. I say this because my youngest is autistic and he goes through periods where he's quite 'ticcy'. At the moment, he isn't but during the summer holidays, his tics were worrying and constant. Tics tend to be quite full-on and non-stop when they do occur, so I wouldn't worry about the frequency. Tics are frequent.

But because of your DS's age and because this is something entirely new, you're right in flagging this with the GP, for reassurance if anything. It is likely nothing but a passing phase. Most kids get tics at some point in their childhood and they do outgrow them.

What I would do is offer a magnesium supplement and a B12 (you can find both in sublingual form) because a deficiency in one or both of these can cause tics.
Make sure he's getting good, deep sleep.
If he's feeling stressed about school, try and work out ways of reducing the stress. Stress feeds the tics, as does poor sleep.
More screen time can increase tics, I find. My kids love a screen and I noticed that when my youngest's tics were at their worst, he was on a screen way more than I should have been allowing. So try and manage screen time or at least, try and manage what they're doing on the screens (have your DS play Minecraft, for example, as opposed to Fortnite... calm games are better).
School is stressful at the moment. Kids aren't getting the breaks and fresh air they were getting before covid. Their time outside the classroom (breaks and play) is more restricted. So their bodies are not getting the daily movement they really require at this age. If he can walk home from school, I would encourage this, just to promote some body movement (instead of going straight from a day in the classroom to a screen in the front room at home- which is my kids' idea of heaven. ).

I am no GP but from my own experience, my money is on your son's tics calming down. Still, it's good to have the GP's input. Good luck!

My DD now 14 has had a lot in her life so much so I almost thought she may have Tourette’s. Clearing throat phase, snapping fingers phase and screwing face up tight phase. We even saw the ear nose and throat specialist with the coughing one in case it was a real cough.
They all passed but she does suffer with anxiety and OCD as a teen and has had some general talking therapy.
Hers were definitely related to controlling stress especially after a busy term or week they would get worse.
Unless they are affecting your DC at school or whatever I would get the check up but just let them pass if you can and offer extra reassurance and talk about them explain they are common.
Maybe something else that helps soothe like a weighted blanket or a fiddle toy just some ideas. We got to the point where we just cut out all of the things causing her stress and then slowly built them back in later like her swimming club and other activities.
It’s very worrying, but often grown out of.

Thank you so much everyone.

I could cry with relief.

It seems like this is pretty normal, I had no idea at all. Then I've never had a reason to talk about it before I guess.

Thank you all, I appreciate your responses and reassurance

I have had cancer recently so there has been a lot of stress around, I did wonder if it could be related to that, it just seems to be getting worse as Im getting better and things are less stressful

Oh that's interesting, OP. I had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest last March. I was in hospital for a while and then back home, it took months to recover. But it's interesting that as I was really improving (July/August), DS's tics went nuts! Like you, I was thinking, we're over the worst, so why is he ticcing now?
But it's a huge life event, what you've been through. And it is quite a trauma for our kids when they see their parents vulnerable and ill. The school can offer DS some emotional support. Do you have enough support for yourself too, OP? I self-referred online for therapy and found it really helpful (if you're in Scotland, you can't self-refer online. But in England, you can. It might be worth considering for your own self).

My 10 year old DD (who does not tic but is very anxious) speaks with her school TA who runs a support group for kids going through times of anxiety (illness in the home, divorce, bereavement). I think, for DD, it's her TA, a person she really likes and trusts, who has created a safe place where students can talk about how they're feeling and it helps a great deal. I wonder if your DS can access someone like that at school, even his teacher.
It's a bigger deal than we realise, watching our parents fight illness. But it's wonderful to know that you're recovering and doing well! That's the best news! I think, if your DS could get some help with removing the shadows and fear, he'd eliminate stress and anxiety which would nip those tics in the bud. Try the magnesium too! It really, really helps my youngest.

My Dd is 15 and her tics started a fortnight ago. Coincidentally she is taking mocks atm. I am pretty sure it is stress causing the tics. The GP has prescribed her a mild sedative (basically a hay fever medicine) which has helped to a certain extent. However yesterday we had to leave school early as she was plainly not coping. Getting a conversation with a GP is so difficult I am tempted to ring 111 as this is now affecting her education. She has had to sit some exams on her own and had to endure the inevitable piss take from other students. Good luck DifficultPifcult it's a strange one and I think the children must get so tired and achy after a bout of tics. Let me know if you find the magic wand.

@elephantoverthehill my dd is the same age. The stress of GCSE's is definitely one of the contributory factors for my dd. A doctor prescribed propranolol as a short term measure to help with reducing her anxiety at school and to help with stuff like exams.

She's one of four girls in her year who've developed tics in the last few months. I was in shock about how quickly my DD's came on. It was practically overnight. My daughter is now on a reduced timetable as she was finding it too difficult to manage everything.

I'd definitely recommend www.tourettes-action.org.uk/ they have a helpline - you can email and they'll call you back. Their education manager was really helpful too for helping with my get my head round what school could do to help. Does your DD have an exit pass if she feels her tics are getting out of control?

I didn't realise how exhausting the tics can be.

Sorry to hear you've had to go through cancer treatment @DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult
Perhaps now you're out there other side it could be that he feels safe to release all of the stress head been holding in.

I haven’t taken him to the doctor as he used to do it when he was about four (another common age for it). His tic is more a tilting his head and appending his eyes wide. Because it always so clearly starts when he’s at a low point energy/school wise I’m not concerned and we never draw attention to it.
If you are concerned though you should try to capture it on video and ask your doctor for advise. Generally tics aren’t a sign of anything serious but you may feel better if you get a doctors opinion.

Opening not appending!

Hi my child developed them around the same age started with a coughing tic, saw gp who treated the cough until it became apparent it was a tic. Themn moved on to neck tic and then a new one every few weeks. We saw a paediatician who basically said she wasn't concerned and it would pass. 3 years on they are still there but a little more under control. Gets worse when they are tired and also so much better when they are taking liquid magnesium. They change regularly to a new tic currently a tightening of muscles in their arms. It is described as a burning sensation until the do it for release. I am pretty sure it's tourettes but medical staff disagree.

My ds has had them for a couple of years on and off. They seem to get worse and more frequent quite rapidly and it’s alarming-especially the neck and back ones.
He currently doesn’t have any really noticeable ones but if you watch closely he will flex and curl his wrists and fingers quite a lot.
We went to the drs initially who said it was within the realm of normal childhood tics and suggested a few coping mechanisms (Based on cbit) but said that the only medications that worked were really quite potent and he’d be very reluctant to go down that route.

Now I’m aware of them I see them a lot in other people too and it’s not as scary.

Yes one dc had tics.
One was similar to what you described, I ignored it, spoke to gp privately and didn't make a fuss of it the she developed another one years later, constantly twiddling her hair to the point it was leaving bald patches... She was older by this stage so I did draw her attention to it and tried to distract her out of it...

So far we are clear.

Also tapping helps with tics.