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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask about your experience with children and tics?

99 replies

Lalala89 · 05/06/2019 02:28

Typical jumping to conclusions mum here but I would just like to ask about your experiences with the above.

My 7 year old ds - sweetest most loving boy who is very sporty has all of a sudden over the last couple of weeks started opening his mouth very wide and then shutting it quickly. I didn't think much of it until my brother- who lives with me asked why he does it.

After that I started to look out for it. I noticed he did it 3/4 times an hour (could of been a couple more as I wasn't staring at him.) When asked about it, it was like he didn't even realize he was doing it.

Of course I did the stupid thing of googling it and it was article after article about tourettes/tics starting at age 6/7 which he is. It mentioned in the article about it starting with face tics that eventually develop into more. I now remember a couple of years ago he used to blink alot for a couple of months ago that I thought he needed glasses but then it stopped and I hadn't thought if it since.

I realize I am probably over worrying and there are far worse things going on. I've just had a tough life and I finally feel like for the first time in my life I'm in a good place and always feel like I'm expecting something bad to happen so am probably over worrying.

I love my son more than anything - do you have any experiences you can share with me?

Thank you in advance

OP posts:

Notcool1984 · 05/06/2019 21:17

I actually posted on her about my 6 year old displaying tics a few months ago. Hers were really noticeable, body and face jerking, up to several times a minute and jumping too. I was worried but advice on her was to try to ignore, which I did, and after around a month it stopped xx

Notcool1984 · 05/06/2019 21:19

Also could he be worried about something? My DDs started round the time we were moving house!

Watsername · 05/06/2019 22:07

Loads and loads of children have tics. They are usually nothing to worry about and go away on their own. Don't draw attention to them. They may change a few times.

Doctors won't even look into them until they have been present for at least a year, so keep a diary.

Both my DSs were diagnosed with Tourette's. My youngest developed tics at age 3, and was diagnosed age 5. He would do 10,000+ tics in a day. Aged 11 now, he has just developed the mouth tic you describe, but most of his other tics have gone.

My eldest was diagnosed with Tourettes aged 10, but 4 years later I would say he's grown out of it.

KissUntilTheyDieOfRabies · 05/06/2019 22:52

My dad has horrendous (for me because of my misophonia) cough and sniff and throat clearing type tics.

Both my brother and myself started ticcing as young children. My dad would constantly have a go at us for them. We were both bullied at school and at home, which is the reason I think we did it so much. Stress.

I'm 36 now and I still tic. I've told GPs and psych teams about them before, because sometimes i get really embarrassed having not realised I'm doing it for ages and then cottoning on.

My brother always sort of scrunched his nose up and did a thing with his shoulders. I blew air up my face and flicked my head.

It's the nose twitching I do so much now, which I hate. I didn't know I did it til someone (not meanfully) pointed it out when I was in my late twenties.

I touch and rub my nose a lot too. It's worse when my allergies are being bothered. But if I'm tired or stressed it's terrible.

As a child I always rubbed my nose with my teddy's paw, because of the way it smelled, so I reckon that could be related. If I could get away with it, I would definitely spend entire days smelling the things I find comforting.

I have OCD and ADHD. And a whole host of related comorbid issues. Even anxiety can cause tics.

I would have felt better as a kid if I hadn't been treated badly for mine. Fingers crossed your DCs are transient.

Belledan1 · 05/06/2019 23:05

My son used to blink alot and make strange throat noises similar between ages 7 to 10.Stop and started. It is common in boys. He is nearly 12 now and totally stopped. He has developed something else now called attitude !!.

taykitty20 · 11/12/2019 20:47

Anyone had any useful answers from gp or otherwise?

24hourshomeedderandcarer · 11/12/2019 20:57

my 15 y old has physically tourettes (and a lot of others disabilities),his body and head is constantly jerking.you also get low grumbling noises from him.doubles when hes stressed

we are 24/7 with him we dont even notice now as hes done it from day 1 and i do mean a newborn,he used to make grimaces and humming noises

we have had many comment over the years and ive had many a run ins with rude judgmental people(99% older generation)

NotPawPatrolAgain · 11/12/2019 21:02

Taykitty20 do you mind if I PM you?

Pomfluff · 11/12/2019 21:11

I had several tic phases between 5-8! Including pouting lips, poking a finger into my throat (though not so far to trigger the gag reflex), blinking eyes hard and a few more. I have no idea why I did it...it wasn't out of fear that something bad would happen and I didn't even give it much thought. I grew out of it entirely without seeing a doctor.

I never developed OCD, although I did go on to have anxiety disorder and emetophobia. However I'm not sure those are linked as I clearly remember not having negative emotions with the tics, whereas I did have scary feelings around anxiety-provoking situations at that age.

Saltycinnamon · 11/12/2019 21:15

V low level twitch like ticking in our 6/7 year old. I was also worried but it has gone away naturally.

NemoRocksMyWorld · 11/12/2019 21:17

My 8 year old daughter has had tics for the past two years. She rubs her right hand in front of her left eye. Before this she used to roll her eyes.

She is also epileptic but it isn't related. Hers are far worse at transitions and if anxious. Also, bizarrely in bright sunlight. She barely does it at home. The best advice is not to mention it - this makes it a million times worse.

However, she HATES it. Kids are constantly asking her about it, which upsets her and makes her worse. She has been teased about it as well. The worse memory I have is when she was about six and we went to see Santa. The father Christmas got really fixated on it and kept asking her to stop, it was horrible for her and I was quite annoyed!

When it is really bad, it is disabling. She once fell into a patch of stinging nettles, because she was doing it so badly and if she's really bad she can't eat or drink. Because of this I have asked for a referral to a specialist clinic. She is referred to the TANDEM clinic in Evelina children's hospital. We are still waiting for an appointment, but I hope they will be able to help her.

Chancey1982 · 11/12/2019 21:26

One of mine had it terribly. It's gone now, I was told never to mention it. It can be for a reason, my son has a dust allergy so could have been that causing it. Or anxiety.
My friends son has terrible allergies and he tics when they play up and also if his fringe is too long. He has asd and is very sensitive.

MakeItRain · 11/12/2019 21:41

Google magnesium and tics. Loads of anecdotal evidence about it really improving or stopping tics in many children. My son has tics and I started giving him liquid magnesium supplements. Within about 24 hours of the first dose there was a noticeable reduction and if he has it daily they practically stop. I would say it's linked to stress and worry with him too - he tends to worry about all sorts of things, from friendships to global issues. Definitely worth a try with the magnesium as I'm convinced it helps him massively.

AragonsGirl · 11/12/2019 21:42

My bother developed a series of tics when he started primary school (hooting, eye rolling etc). His p1 teacher did discuss it with my parents, but it just seemed to be his reaction to starting school. He quickly grew out of them

fluffygreenmonsterhoody · 11/12/2019 22:03

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, I’ve felt a bit lonely since noticing 7yo DS has tics.

His come and go, generally alongside a growthspurt, development spurt and a few weeks of bedwetting.

Following with interest and 💐 for you.

happycamper11 · 12/12/2019 06:47

DD often goes through little phases, she was an obsessive blinker for a while, then a couple of years later a funny head shaking thing and now the worst is constantly clearing her throat (that horrible guttural way people do to bring up phlegm) I've mentioned each of these to the GP when we have been there for other things and they've always checked it out (eyes tested, throat looked at) and been told habits like this are common at this age - some kids do it more than others. I remember as a child doing a mouth opening thing. I remember it because my older brother used to tease me, another was I used to scrunch my top lip up to my nose. I guess she's inherited the tendency from me but I haven't had any further issues

happycamper11 · 12/12/2019 07:03

Thinking about it I even do a weird clicking thing at the back of my nose now. I don't suffer from anything else such as anxiety and it's never impacted my life

AudacityOfHope · 12/12/2019 07:10

@taykitty20 my DD was immediately referred to CAHMS when I asked the GP: her appointment came through really quickly and is just after Christmas.

To be honest it all went off the scale a bit when she started repeating swear words all the time without realising...

Just wondering if you're near me, your username...

calmpuppycrazykids · 12/12/2019 07:12

My first Ds started tics at about 7 and it was the opening of the mouth first and then looking up started a bit later as in just a quick glance up
I did worry for a while and when he was a few years older he explained to me that he the mouth tic just felt like his mouth was itchy and he had to open it
He learnt to deal by the way you would wipe your mouth and at 22 he still does this
The looking up is still happening to
But it's only if he is really stressed or really tired
Ds2 started tics at about 7 as well and his was making noises I have to admit it drove me nuts as it seemed to be all the time
It stopped when he was about 12 and he is 21 now and he hasn't had anything since
Ds3 is 13 and he has never had any tics
Ds4 is 7 tomorrow and so far no signs of any tics but we will see

Belledan1 · 12/12/2019 08:35

My son did this on and off between 7 and 10. Also made noises and blinked a lot.He is fine now at 12. My childminder said happens a lot to boys for a few years.

Toddlerteaplease · 12/12/2019 08:45

I did that as a child and still do. I have several tics that come and go. Not convinced it's stress though.

taykitty20 · 12/12/2019 11:15

Yes, anyone welcome to pm, that would be great-I don’t know how to do it though? I’m in Putney, London x

AudacityOfHope · 12/12/2019 12:50

Ah I'm very far away from you!

taykitty20 · 12/12/2019 13:18

I can definitely identify with feeling lonely. Went to my daughter's holiday play this morning and seeing her facial tics during it really upsets me. I try hard not to let it dent my enjoyment of her but I find it really difficult to tune it out and to tune out worry about the future. I also logically know that everyone out there is dealing with something/has dealt with somethingand often much more serious somethingsbut it feels hard. Good luck to everyone and please do update/feel free to pm me as would love company in the whole thing :)

taykitty20 · 12/12/2019 13:20

...any advice to whether or not you acknowledge it to others/wait for it to come up/say nothing at all....? Or for those dealing with vocal tics how to stop yourself from telling them to stopppppp?

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