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Original poster

DS started having tics! Or is it OCD?

30 replies

Sushiandunagi · 15/07/2023 21:42

My DS who recently turned 6 started developing what looks like tics. He is hard blinking, makes funny noises like grunting or blowing sometimes he stomps his feet to the rythm in his head. im not sure if it’s a tic or maybe an OCD?
he refuses to go to doctor to the point of tears and I hate to reinforce that something is wrong.
Does any MN have any idea what to do? Leave it? Does he need medication?
Im worried that he might be bullied at school because of it… I’m also worried that it might develop into Tourette’s or is it a sign of childhood anxiety? Has anyone gone through the same with their kiddos?

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 15/07/2023 21:44

Could be ASD and he is stimming. What have school said ?

CircleWithin · 15/07/2023 21:45

Tics are fairly common at that age and most children grow out of it. I wouldn't make a fuss or draw too much attention to it.

chocolateisavegetable · 15/07/2023 21:45

Had he previously had tonsillitis? Has his behaviour changed in addition to the tics?

GentlyGentlyOhDear · 15/07/2023 21:48

My ds has occasional tics and from what I've read it's common in children this age and most grow out of it. Don't draw attention to it as this can make it worse and make them self conscious and see the doctor if the same tic is present persistently for over 6 months.
I was very worried at first but less so now and another friend mentioned her son has had them too.

smartiecake · 15/07/2023 21:48

Can you secretly film him doing these things?
You will have to book a doctors appointment as you will need a referral to a childrens paediatrician or camhs. Your son may not like seeing the Dr but he is 6 and these behaviours need to be investigated further. Does he have any other issues you or school would be concerned about? It could be stimming/sensory seeking behaviour but it needs investigating and flagging up to the Dr so they can make a referral.

My son has ASD but was diagnosed at 3. He is now a teen with mental health issues and has developed tics and is being assessed for OCD now.

ImGonnaHaveToTurnMyBackOnYou · 15/07/2023 21:49

I'm autistic, I have adhd, and I've had anxiety problems since very early on.

Both my sibling and I developed 'nervous tics' which came and went. We were both bullied and also had issues with an overbearing abusive parent at home.

Some of them have stayed with me but are subtle, or only happen if I'm very tired or very stressed. Others turned out to be stims. Others I can't really label, they're like a mix of stem and tic - I'm compelled to do them even when it might cause me agony (I have one with my feet and ankles flexing and couldn't stop myself doing it after a very bad sprain, I was in floods of tears).

It can be ocd, it can be tourettes tics, anxiety tics, stims, nervous tics, or just a developmental thing. Just reassure him it's OK, and they might go away, but to let you or a teacher know if anyone is cruel to him about them.

Lo89 · 15/07/2023 21:53

My DD started excessively blinking, humming and kissing noises around 5 years old. 18 months later she's been diagnosed with tourettes syndrome she's had a various vocal tics over this time and now has more noticeable motor tics such as head shaking.

She has been under a paediatrician and not much they do unless they're affecting them negatively they can go down the route of CBT or meds.

She is fine and doesn't have any issues at school yet but has potential ADHD traits so we're watching to see how she goes for now.

I would say as long as he isn't being bullied and not affecting him nothing to be overly concerned about all a dr will do is refer and diagnose.

If it is TS your child has then they can potentially get worse around adolescent years and calm back down in adulthood.

Original poster
Sushiandunagi · 15/07/2023 22:02

@DustyLee123 school never mentioned anything. He is top of his class for learning and plays lots of sports so I guess from their perspective he’s ok.

@chocolateisavegetable no he didn’t… last time he had tonsillitis was in February.

@CircleWithin @GentlyGentlyOhDear thats reassuring, thank you! its really hard not to draw attention to it because it drives me bonkers but I try to ignore it as much as I can.. now im worried I made him self concern though. Oh dear…

@smartiecakethanks for replying. I guess I can film him. But they would want to see him anyway and I really don’t want to upset my DS any further about it especially if there’s a chance it will just go away.

@ImGonnaHaveToTurnMyBackOnYou thank you for replying and I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I think it’s a good idea to watch him for now and see where we are in 6 months or so…

OP posts:
Fiddlerdragon · 15/07/2023 22:09

My son did this since he was 3, it began in lockdown. His uncle has Tourette’s which can be hereditary so we assumed it was that. Until I read something online about the link between tics and screen time, we took away his devices and within 4 days most of his tics had stopped. Within a month he went from up to 30 tics a minute to 2 a day. Have a look online and see what you think. If it’s not this you are pretty much stuck when it comes to medical treatment. Very few are FDA approved, they have horrible side affects. Treatments are for people who are compulsively harming themselves etc. My son had no issues with bullying, you need to relax about it and treat it as a non issue, or even try and have them see the funny side

Original poster
Sushiandunagi · 15/07/2023 22:15

@Fiddlerdragon my DS has it mainly whist watching TV or playing switch so there’s definitely a link! Thanks, I’m going to look into this 🙏

OP posts:
Fairymother · 15/07/2023 22:15

DS did the blinking for a good year or so at that age. Disappeared on its own. We never pointed it out or anything and i dont think anyone at school did, at least DS never mentioned it.
My niece had a cough tic. She would always clear her throat or cough like constantly all day also over several months. Also disappeared on ots own.

wobblymum1 · 15/07/2023 22:20

GentlyGentlyOhDear · 15/07/2023 21:48

My ds has occasional tics and from what I've read it's common in children this age and most grow out of it. Don't draw attention to it as this can make it worse and make them self conscious and see the doctor if the same tic is present persistently for over 6 months.
I was very worried at first but less so now and another friend mentioned her son has had them too.

Totally agree with this.

Klittle9 · 15/07/2023 22:33

My son developed tics when he was 7, they involved movements and sounds, they would change to different things approx every 3 months. We called them his ‘habits’. We went to see doctors about it, we saw clinical psychologists. I was worried it was Tourette’s, but they said it wasn’t and that he would most likely grow out of it. So over the years we tried not to make a thing of it, to ignore it. He is 18 now and he has grown out of it. Slowly over the years it became less and less.

SweetAsIcedChocolate · 15/07/2023 22:36

CircleWithin · 15/07/2023 21:45

Tics are fairly common at that age and most children grow out of it. I wouldn't make a fuss or draw too much attention to it.

This.

DM mentioned she had noticed DS, as if I hadn’t spotted it myself, he did grow out of it.

CouldIHaveThatInEnglishPlease · 15/07/2023 22:40

My ds had tics, at one point had cough/throat clearing for around six months. It did eventually go
he does however have asd (high functioning) and ocd (germaphobia regarding food) though, and also speech and language problems as a young child including being a selective mute until he was around 8, and I am sure these are all massively linked together.
id say just monitor your dc, but don’t point it out because if it is anxiety related, you could just make it worse if he becomes too conscious about it

GG1986 · 15/07/2023 22:40

My dd7 has occassional tics, they come and go and are usually worse when she is anxious. She has diagnosed adhd and wanting for autism assessment. Ignoring them is the best thing to do.

Thelondonone · 15/07/2023 22:51

My little one had them over the summer when his class was being mixed up. Within a week of his new class they had gone so it was anxiety. He does have ocd tendencies which we are monitoring 4 years later but so far so good.

Parlourgames · 15/07/2023 22:55

My son had them on and off over the years from about 5 but grew out of them. We decided not to worry. They were never too problematic. I think it can be fairly usual for a child…

HolidayBlah · 15/07/2023 22:56

My 7 year old is similar. The current one is nodding their head and wrinkling their nose. We've previously had snorting and blinking. They also talk about their brain wanting them to say 'fuck' or 'shit' but they don't. This is the bit that worries me. I'm keeping an eye on it but school have never mentioned it (though I have a feeling they won't unless I do).

It's interesting to read that there could be a link with screens so I'm going to watch for this in particular.

Hollyshocks · 15/07/2023 23:02

It’s pretty common especially with boys at that age.
My son had them. Still does occasionally but you’d probably only notice if you were looking for them.
I spot them in quite a few other kids now too.
One thing to watch out for is that they can change and escalate very quickly. My son went from twitching his nose to a horrible neck arching one in the space of a couple of weeks but then they both faded away.

Our dr was really nice. Just advised to ignore them but that if they were bothering him for him to try to do a different movement instead eg try to stretch his fingers rather than his neck.

Original poster
Sushiandunagi · 17/07/2023 21:56

Thanks everyone! I’ve gone cold Turkey on screen time (although they watch movies at school 🤔🤦🏻‍♀️)and hope for the best now

OP posts:
Jellycats4life · 17/07/2023 22:01

My son (8) is autistic has a selection of vocal stims, but occasionally it crosses the line into a tic. The worse one is a compulsive cough. Usually triggered by having a genuine cough, but once he’s better the compulsion to cough doesn’t go away. It might even be a sensory thing, like it feels good to him. We went through a really bad period where the cough was relentless and I thought I was going to lose my marbles. Disrupted school too.

I do think it’s often anxiety driven.

BeverlyBrook · 17/07/2023 22:01

Yep behaviour changes, and don't mention it.
It's anxiety based. Nothing the GP can actually do. Talking treatment helped our DD.

Mumtothreegirlies · 17/07/2023 22:13

Tics are Tourette’s and Tourette’s is the most severe form of adhd.
most children grow out of it (my nephew did)
my husband never Grew out of it, but it’s really only noticeable when he’s stressed or excited. His is similar to Lewis Capaldis although not with the shoulder just with the face and a funny throat noise occasionally.
He’s still really successful though and runs a property business with lots of clients and social interaction, so even if he doesn’t grow out of it, with the right treatment he’ll be absolutely fine.

moanybird · 17/07/2023 23:07

My DD13 was diagnosed with Tourette's earlier this year. She also has ADHD and possible autism. Her tics are mainly motor and are worse when anxious or tired.