My poor DS is tic-ing like crazy

[HermioneWeasley]

He has verbal and physical tics. Diagnosis is "tic disorder" though what the difference between that and Tourette's is I don't know.

His verbal tics have been very pronounced the last week or so. He should be asleep by now and I can hear him tic-ing constantly in bed. I think it's keeping him awake. It must be so frustrating for him.

We went to a museum yesterday and he was terrified he was going to be asked to leave for making a noise. There was a little demo at the museum and other kids moved to get away from him.

My heart is breaking for him.

Oh poor darling. How old is he?

My 11 year old was very tic prone at age 6. He outgrew the really obvious ones, such as blinking and making noises, but I can notice he still has little tics sometimes - but only I notice them.

So sorry to hear what your poor ds is going through. How old is he and how long has it been going on for? DC also has tourettes. PM me if you have any questions.

Hi. My sons also have tics. The oldest seems to have grown out of them and my 7 yr old has had them for several years now. I also find it heartbreaking at times but have often found that when a particular tic is at it's worse that it can peak then get a bit better. You will hopefully find that tomorrow may not be so bad. Do you think all the excitement with Christmas has made things worse?
Kare Karen, how long did your son have tics for before he grew out of them? I keep hoping that this will happen for my son as well.

Hi,

I can't really offer any advice, but can relate. My four year old starting having eye tics last summer and they have been around for almost a year now. I do worry how things will progress for him, particularly with the stress of starting primary school this coming August.

Have you tried your son on any meds/supplements at all to see if they make a difference?

x

Thanks for the support.

DS is 7 and looking back has had tics for years, at least since he was 2, but they've only become prounounced enough to notice in the last couple of years. He definitely has peaks and troughs, and I think the excitement if Christmas, coupled with not enough sleep ongoing makes them worse.

Not tried any Meds, hasn't been severe enough to even consider, but last night I did just want to slip him a sedative. He did fall asleep not long after posting though - goodness knows what state he'll be in tonight with a late night and early morning for school.

We're on 6 monthly paediatrician referral. Should we be asking to see a neurologist do you think?

Poor wee guy, it so hard watching their little bodies do things they cannot control. It becomes so absorbing, it's such a helpless feeling isn't it :(
I'm sure a referral might be a good idea. A Paediatric Neurologist is likely to have a much better insight into tics than a general paediatrician. But it depends on the basis of his tics I guess? I'm no expert, I have really just started this journey with my little guy recently. I have read a lot about diet/allergies being tic triggers. I recently read a great book written by Sheila Rogers that traces a lot of tics to environmental factors etc. There does not seem to be one answer for everybody, so many different possibilities. Getting a professional opinion would be good for you though, you would feel like you were taking steps towards a better understanding of your son's condition. My heart goes out to you, as I think my son is on the same path, but just at an earlier stage xxx

I think its best to stay off meds for as long as possible because most children grow out of the tics or they lesten so much as not to be noticeable anymore, meds also have their own side effects.

I agree I wouldn't want to try medication unless it was really bad as they can be very powerful drugs with serious side effects. I have been giving my son liquid magnesium although very difficult to know if it helps. Would be interested to hear about anything else that people have found helps. Hermione, I hope your son has a better day today.

Interesting that for everyone on here, it's a son with tics. I wonder if boys are more likely to develop them for some reason?

I posted about this last week. My 3.8 year old DD has developed various tics in the last few weeks. So far I am just ignoring it and hopefully it will pass.

Hi Hermione, my reading so far suggests boys tend to outnumber girls when it comes to tics. Having become so 'hyper aware' of tics since my son developed them, I now notice them in my husband. He has this weird shoulder shrug thing going on when he's relaxing sometimes, and blinks quite a lot sometimes if he's anxious. When I picked up my son tonight from my childminder, his little friend Ian was sniffing every two minutes. There are many girls who develop tics but I think it does tend to be more of a 'boy thing'. How was your son today? x

I think it's far more common in boys.

I had some great advice from a wise teacher friend who is also a SENCO. She really set my mind at rest about them outgrowing tics. And she rightly told me to ignore, ignore, ignore.

She uses lots of little strategies with boys at her school. For example, one boy used to pull at the neck of his shirt constantly, as though it was too tight. She got him to touch his thumb to each finger in turn, in his pocket, as a diversion. I don't know if this is an unorthodox approach, but the collar tugging (which he was teased about) stopped.

My son's rapid blinking tic, which worried me the most, lasted less than 6 months. He had another one, which was making a constant groaning noise when he watched tv, that lasted about 2 (frustrating) years. He also had a very transient stammer.

I can't remember half of them now he's 11, but I do remember being secretly frustrated by them. It used to seem one would stop only to be replaced by another.

That's really interesting KareKare. I agree, the rapid blinking is a scary one, I find that quite upsetting to see. Can I ask, now that your son is 11 have you noticed his tics have reduced? What age was he when he had the phases of ticing? Sorry, I have lots of questions for Mum's who have experience with this, as I can't seem to find anybody in my circle who's kids have done this

Your poor DS (and you!)

DS (6) has been doing a lot of facial tics since Christmas. Mainly a sort of mouth grimace. Think the excitement and stress of the holidays have 'set him off' a bit.

I posted on here some time last year, he had a vocal tic that was just awful, was at the end of my tether.
I think it lasted around 4 months (seemed longer!) but that one has completely disappeared now.

Sorry I have no practical advice, but hope your DS manages to settle soon.

Hi babypup - thanks for asking. He's still very vocal this evening. I'm hoping he gets to sleep earlier tonight.

KareKare - I think what the SENCO did is habit reversal training. I've read a bit about it but can't seem to find anyone in the uk who does it. I need to push at the next appointment as we're not getting anywhere.

Oh bless him, poor wee guy, sending big hugs. After his first day back at nursery today my wee man came home blinking like crazy too. 15 minutes of Octonauts tonight was more than I could take, I ended up pretending to 'have' to go an unload the dishwasher....it's so tough some days! I hope your little one gets a good sleep tonight and is a little better tomorrow. Have your tried contracting CAMHS Hermione?

I hadn't thought if CAMHS. I assumed it's a neurological disorder rather than a mental health issue

My son was diagnosed when he was 9. It came on during a hormone surge (he was growing rapidly) and involved a strange head turn and eye rolling. the GP thought it might be epilepsy at one point. It was awful for about 4 months and then, gradually, it went away. Now he gets it when he is very tired or if he is having a growth spurt but it is just his eyes now. He is 13. He still has annoying verbal ticks, l equate them to finger tapping, but he is more in control now. It should improve with time.

Babypup, he was 6 when they started and 8 when they stopped.

He is still quite fidgety at times and finds it hard to be completely still and quiet, but I am probably being over observant and most of his friends are whirling dervish types so I don't suppose they sit still much either.

We were watching a film at home the other day and he was constantly blowing out his cheeks and letting the air burst out. Tic? Or just annoying? I don't know!

Hermione, I hope you get referred to someone who can help.

I agree, the basis is more neurological. However, I have read a lot about parents who were initially referred to CAMHS for tics, mainly as some can be made worse due to stress/anxiety over the tics. Addressing this can sometimes lessen the severity of the tics I'm guessing. What CAMHS will be able to do is access mental health services for you, habit reversal training/CBT etc all fall into that category but can also be used for tic disorder management. They might be able to steer you in the right direction of local services that can assist? Not sure, worth a try though :)

CAMHS are the correct team to see for tics and all associated neurological disorders. They are a multidisciplinary team, so you will find clinical psychologists, paediatric neurologist etc all together within this team who will monitor and help you with managing your child's condition. Don't be afraid they are very experienced with children suffering from these types of conditions and its possible co-morbidities, Tics, adhd, OCD etc.

Oh that is heartbreaking, poor guy. I guess if you reversed it though, I expect it's worse to witness than to do it..? I always think the eye blinking to us might seem like they're shy/anxious but they're not, they're just involuntary movements, not an expression of their feelings..? I hope I'm right.

My DS has a verbal tic, like a stammer/stutter, he has to repeat the last syllable of his sentence while he's thinking, king, king, king... for a long time after he's finished. He'll also shout loudly and without warning to the point where he'll scare me half to death sometimes. He has other 'eccentricities' and he's being assessed for ASD but he's too young to be self concious about them yet & we don't ever point them out or discuss them.

I've always thought that if they start to bother him, I might start doing them as well... maybe to others that might seem like I'm mocking him but I'd hate him to feel like he's the only one, the 'weird' one so we can be good-weird together maybe.

I'm interested in everyone's thoughts re referrals to CAMHS etc. From everything I've read, the best strategy is to ignore them (very difficult I know). I just wonder if there are no associated problems whether being seen by various doctors and health professionals would draw attention to them and make the child feel different. I occasionally ask my son if his habits are bothering him and he usually says no so I've decided not to do anything except my own trial and error strategies unless he seems unhappy.

PJ67 - I know exactly what you mean, it's a big consideration. My son is still so young with no associated problems, so unless things progress and he shows signs of being upset by his tics/ develops associated issues with anxiety I would be inclined not to draw attention to it. If I felt a CAMHS referral would benefit him in the future and give us both strategies for coping/reducing tics I would definitely look to engage with them

When his tics are very prominent, they do both him, especially the verbal ones. In the summer he had a few days when he was ticcing in between each word and was obviously frustrated. Hadn't thought of accessing the habit reversal stuff through CAMHS - something to think about.

Was so cross yesterday. In the evening DW told me that during quiet time in class he had been ticcing and his teacher said "who is making that silly noise?". He didn't own up but said that he was close to tears. Now I am sure a class of 7 year olds is capable of making lots of disruptive noise at quiet time, but when you KNOW there is a child in your class with verbal tics, wouldn't you think before you speak?!

DW has put a note in his reading book for her. If it continues then we will speak to her formally. If that doesn't work I will sue the school, I will sue her personally, she will lose her house, she will never work again, etc etc.