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3 year old multiple tics

43 replies

foreverhopeful1uk · 12/12/2024 07:32

Last year, at the age of two, my son developed a blinking tic. It wasn't all the time, and it went after three weeks, and I put this down to him having COVID. However, a year on, he had another illness. It was croup, and I also believe he may have had COVID after that. And from that, he developed a sort of throat clearing noise that he would make through his nose. And that has gone on for nearly two weeks, and I started to think perhaps this is more of a habit, a tic. He's now evolved from that to touching his nose and sniffing with his nose. So he's always touching his nose as if he has a runny nose, but he doesn't. It's been checked by ent and there is nothing wrong. last week, I noticed that he was starting to look down as if it was a blink, but not quite a blink. That's evolved now to him extending his neck frequently and doing a grimace on his face at the same time, which is clearly a tic. I spoke to the doctor, being referred to neurology, and also she's given us some antibiotics to take in case it could be PANS. It's only been a day, and as of yet, I've not seen any change. I just want to know if anyone's had any experience with the child being around about the age of three and developing multiple tics over a very short space of time, and any advice, and if they've gone away, because I'm very worried. Thank you.

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 12/12/2024 07:36

Throat clearing can be asthma. Does he cough at night?

foreverhopeful1uk · 12/12/2024 07:37

Hi no he's fine at night and ENT say it's all clear

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dancinginthedark123 · 12/12/2024 09:05

My daughter had
the same, and while it’s early early days having just finished the antibiotics, her tics have nearly stopped so it’s either a coincidence or it was strep that needed a coirse of
antibiotics…I know how stressful it is so sending
you a hug 🤍

Stormyweatheroutthere · 12/12/2024 09:09

Ds... Dr ignored it...
We missed his obviously autistic traits..
Struggling as a 16 year old now.

College teach him as if he has ASD. Diagnosis would take 4 years they say.

Dig into it now op. Imo.

foreverhopeful1uk · 12/12/2024 09:13

Stormyweatheroutthere · 12/12/2024 09:09

Ds... Dr ignored it...
We missed his obviously autistic traits..
Struggling as a 16 year old now.

College teach him as if he has ASD. Diagnosis would take 4 years they say.

Dig into it now op. Imo.

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear that. My son has no autistic flags, he's had all his health/developmental checks and so far seems to be right on track with everything. I'm not sure if this is something he could develop later but as of now there are no other concerns

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ChocHotolate · 12/12/2024 09:13

Might be worth exclude reflux? That can cause throat discomfort which can lead to repeated clearing the throat?
Admitedly a long shot, good luck

foreverhopeful1uk · 12/12/2024 09:14

dancinginthedark123 · 12/12/2024 09:05

My daughter had
the same, and while it’s early early days having just finished the antibiotics, her tics have nearly stopped so it’s either a coincidence or it was strep that needed a coirse of
antibiotics…I know how stressful it is so sending
you a hug 🤍

Finally someone who is/has been going through the same thing ❤️

How long has your daughter been on antibiotics for and when did you see them start to reduce? And when did her tics start and what were they? Sorry for all the questions. X

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buckleten · 12/12/2024 09:31

I have replied to another post on this topic a while ago, but my daughter had this from around 8 - throat clearing/coughing, also blinking rapidly.. we were told magnesium deficiency, and magnesium supplements helped massively. Now she's a teenager and has no tics at all.. worth a try, also up the magnesium rich foods such as green leafy veg, dark chocolate!

dancinginthedark123 · 12/12/2024 09:40

foreverhopeful1uk · 12/12/2024 09:14

Finally someone who is/has been going through the same thing ❤️

How long has your daughter been on antibiotics for and when did you see them start to reduce? And when did her tics start and what were they? Sorry for all the questions. X

Not at all, I was 💯 where you were.
its taken the entire course
to see an improvement. Her
tics came on suddenly - neck stretching, throat clearing, excessive blinking. She also developed ocd behaviours overnight - tapping things the right numver
of times, brushing her until she was tired, developed sensory clothes issues. Prior to this she had no signs of these things. She also developed anxiety and hated being apart from me. It was horrendous. My gp dismissed PANS
saying it’s not recognised here and very controversial. She onlt
got the penicillin by strange luck as an out of hours dr said her ronials
were swollen so wanted to treat for strep A. I’m now
certain it was / is PANS as its
too much of a coincidence for her tics /ocd to have improved so much after the course.

foreverhopeful1uk · 12/12/2024 09:48

Thank god you went to the out of hours dr. Well done! So you did 2 weeks of antibiotics before you saw improvement? I'm so impatient, I started them last night and this morning I was crushed that they don't seem to have eased- I'm not sure what I was expecting.

I keep going down the rabbit hole of google and I'm deeply concerned it could be Tourette's or something which may cause him distress at some point in his life. I'm a bit lost x

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Jellycats4life · 12/12/2024 09:52

My son has cycled through a whole variety of tics or stims (it’s hard to know the difference sometimes). He’s autistic. Over the years we’ve had a whole host of throat/mouth noises, a compulsive cough which nearly drove me round the bend and caused a LOT of disruption at school, neck movements, and eyelids.

I was honestly really concerned about it at one point. Thankfully the most disruptive ones faded away in their own time. He has a new noise that he often makes when relaxed and watching TV, but it isn’t bothersome so I’m not worried.

I find it’s often quite anxiety driven, par for the course when they’re autistic.

foreverhopeful1uk · 12/12/2024 09:54

Jellycats4life · 12/12/2024 09:52

My son has cycled through a whole variety of tics or stims (it’s hard to know the difference sometimes). He’s autistic. Over the years we’ve had a whole host of throat/mouth noises, a compulsive cough which nearly drove me round the bend and caused a LOT of disruption at school, neck movements, and eyelids.

I was honestly really concerned about it at one point. Thankfully the most disruptive ones faded away in their own time. He has a new noise that he often makes when relaxed and watching TV, but it isn’t bothersome so I’m not worried.

I find it’s often quite anxiety driven, par for the course when they’re autistic.

Thank so much for reply. How long do they usually last? It's the neck extension one that's making me panic if that went I could relax a little more I feel x

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Susieblue18 · 13/12/2024 23:59

My son had very similar tics at that age. I found it very stressful but tried really hard not to draw attention to them as that apparently makes them worse. They would often last a few month, maybe have a period with none then another one would appear. I think they were probably at their worse when he was around 5 or 6 and although they would come and go they did improve. He’s 18 now and has very occasional mild tics that most people wouldn’t notice. Try, if you can, not to let them affect your relationship with your little boy as I found that I was so anxious and focused on the tics that I missed out on a lot and that’s really sad as they didn’t really seem to bother him.

foreverhopeful1uk · 14/12/2024 06:49

Susieblue18 · 13/12/2024 23:59

My son had very similar tics at that age. I found it very stressful but tried really hard not to draw attention to them as that apparently makes them worse. They would often last a few month, maybe have a period with none then another one would appear. I think they were probably at their worse when he was around 5 or 6 and although they would come and go they did improve. He’s 18 now and has very occasional mild tics that most people wouldn’t notice. Try, if you can, not to let them affect your relationship with your little boy as I found that I was so anxious and focused on the tics that I missed out on a lot and that’s really sad as they didn’t really seem to bother him.

Thanks so much for your reply and yea it's great advice because I am currently so consumed by it and the fear of what might be that I am missing out on enjoying watching him as opposed to just monitoring his every movement. I really hope it's the same for my son where he just moved on from this and out grows them x

OP posts:
starlight94 · 14/12/2024 07:30

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HPandthelastwish · 14/12/2024 08:18

You are worrying unnecessarily though even if he has Tourettes as conditions go it's not a terrible one to have. In terms of getting diagnosed with Tourettes the child needs to have 2 motor tics and a verbal one for a year. If they continue it's worth getting a blood test to rule out nutrient deficiency as that can be cause too.

DDs tics come and go, normally in times of stress and started when she was 13. She will occasionally get a tic attack where she gets them repeatedly for about 30 mins, it's annoying and uncomfortable but she leaves the classroom, goes to the SEND office until they settle and might take an ibuprofen if he neck jerking is hurting her largely it's just an inconvenience.

She is also autistic, tics aren't always a sign of autism and can be standalone, but you shouldnt assume autistic children are behind developmentally the opposite can be true too and DD was ahead on all her milestones. When they assess a child for autism they look back to the age of 2/3 to see what signs they had then and many children don't get diagnosed until the teen years.

foreverhopeful1uk · 18/06/2025 19:25

Hi I'm back on here, my son's tics stopped after 2.5 months and then he had a break of 3months but now they are back again 😩 he's got blinking and a new one of opening his mouth wide. It feels like some days they are so mild no one would even notice and today was one of those days but then tonight as he was tired he was blinking hard constantly basically until I put him to sleep. I'm still very concerned, especially as now they are back, has anyone had experience of them coming back?

OP posts:
starlight94 · 18/06/2025 22:34

foreverhopeful1uk · 18/06/2025 19:25

Hi I'm back on here, my son's tics stopped after 2.5 months and then he had a break of 3months but now they are back again 😩 he's got blinking and a new one of opening his mouth wide. It feels like some days they are so mild no one would even notice and today was one of those days but then tonight as he was tired he was blinking hard constantly basically until I put him to sleep. I'm still very concerned, especially as now they are back, has anyone had experience of them coming back?

My DS tics regularly come back after a few months of nothing. Sometimes they come back mild and other times strong, they just wax and wane, usually linked to tiredness or stress. Since he started the magnesium they have been very mild.

foreverhopeful1uk · 18/06/2025 23:03

Thanks for replying- how old is your DS? I started magnesium tablets before bed around a week ago but haven't really noticed any changes x

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ncforschoolhelp · 18/06/2025 23:29

My son has had tics for a year or so. He is 6. He is currently being investigated for ASC / ADHD. A year ago I would have said nonsense if you told me he could be neurodiverse. Now I'm almost certain he is. His behaviours & tics manifest around anxiety and then just become BAU.

foreverhopeful1uk · 19/06/2025 05:17

That's interesting that you would never have thought it before, may I ask why you are now certain he could be neurodiverse?x

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starlight94 · 19/06/2025 13:38

foreverhopeful1uk · 18/06/2025 23:03

Thanks for replying- how old is your DS? I started magnesium tablets before bed around a week ago but haven't really noticed any changes x

He is 8 now and has had tics for about 5 years. The magnesium took a little while to start working, although can’t remember exactly how long. They were worst age 6 but then improved from age 7 onwards after starting the magnesium.

foreverhopeful1uk · 19/06/2025 13:45

Wow so he's had them for a long time, for you have a long time with nothing and then they come and then they go again? Has he been ok with it and has anyone really noticed x

OP posts:
starlight94 · 19/06/2025 20:59

foreverhopeful1uk · 19/06/2025 13:45

Wow so he's had them for a long time, for you have a long time with nothing and then they come and then they go again? Has he been ok with it and has anyone really noticed x

Yeah. I used to keep a diary with dates of how long they lasted and what they were as they would change. The GP also suggested keeping a few videos if they were really bad, which came in helpful when discussing them with school (Something that surprised me was how he can suppress them at school but then they would explode as soon as he got home)

No one at school has ever commented on them, but when they have been really bad he’s ended up totally drained and also neck aches etc (magnesium bath salts help too)

The hospital said they are not usual to see in children, usually peaks around age 12-14, then by the age of 18+ they have usually gone or are very minor that they are not noticeable.

The GP said they can also be a symptom of ASD/ADHD/Anxiety etc, which is looking to be the case for my DS (not always the case, can be stand alone)

There’s a brilliant FB group called TIC Talk UK, lots of helpful advice on there.

foreverhopeful1uk · 19/06/2025 21:06

thank You so much for all this info- I have asked to Join the fb group. Interesting you say it could be related to another thing like adhd etc. I can't see anything like that currently however he is only 3. Did you see anything earlier on or is it just now certain things are coming to light? Sorry for all the questions x

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