Do you or autistic people that you know have a tic

[ofwarren]

My son has been referred for autism assessment and he's 7. For the past 3 years he's had an eye tic which definitely seems to be getting more frequent.
His brother who was diagnosed 6 years ago also had one at a similar age that seemed to die off around 11. He still does it if stressed.

When you look online, it seems to mention it as an ADHD symptom, not an ASD symptom?

I have a sort of leg twitch when I'm stressed or anxious and ds does a sort of flappy hands thing when stressed it's called stimming in those of us with asd, ds also has "proper tics" (according to the Drs) both vocal and leg/arm ones though he has ADHD and tourettes to go with his ASD and hypermobility.
I wouldn't be too concerned about an eye twitch on it's own though would mention it to the drs who asses your ds as it could help them come to a decision on diagnosis especially as ASD, ADHD and Tourettes are in a family of disorders having 1 makes it more likely that they will have the others

I skin pick - I don't know if that's a 'tic'? I do it as a way of self-soothing rather than self-harming if that makes any sense.

@BoardLikeAMirror

I skin pick - I don't know if that's a 'tic'? I do it as a way of self-soothing rather than self-harming if that makes any sense.

Its usually an involuntary movement. What used to be called a twitch.

Oh, I see. Interestingly, I have suffered from 'myoclonic jerks' at intervals in the past - I saw a neurologist and had a CT scan but of course, it took so long for the appointments to come through that the jerks had stopped by then. There was no cause found. They were maddening - completely involuntary, initially triggered by stress but went on for weeks before gradually fading out. I would lie on the affected limb at night to stop it moving but still feel the muscle pinging away.

I always assumed this was a purely physical problem. It's very intermittent - perhaps once every couple of years - but can last for weeks when it starts.

It never occurred to me to think of it as a possible 'tic' - I thought a tic was a voluntary movement - I'm so glad you have explained it, @ofwarren, as it might be relevant when it comes to the question of diagnosis.

@BoardLikeAMirror

Oh, I see. Interestingly, I have suffered from 'myoclonic jerks' at intervals in the past - I saw a neurologist and had a CT scan but of course, it took so long for the appointments to come through that the jerks had stopped by then. There was no cause found. They were maddening - completely involuntary, initially triggered by stress but went on for weeks before gradually fading out. I would lie on the affected limb at night to stop it moving but still feel the muscle pinging away.

I always assumed this was a purely physical problem. It's very intermittent - perhaps once every couple of years - but can last for weeks when it starts.

It never occurred to me to think of it as a possible 'tic' - I thought a tic was a voluntary movement - I'm so glad you have explained it, @ofwarren, as it might be relevant when it comes to the question of diagnosis.

That is very interesting and definitely relevant to your assessment.
I've been reading up and apparently tic disorders can be comorbid with autism. I always thought of them as something just adhd people did.
Poor kid is watching TV and twitching both eyes and twitching his nose every few seconds.
I've never seen it so bad.

I do hope your DS's tics fade down soon!

I will add my 'myoclonic jerks' (that was what the doctors called them but apparently they are a symptom rather than a condition in themselves) to the list I am making for my assessment if/when it happens - I have a feeling the list will end up being quite long.

We're autistic and have phases of tics, yes. Sometimes lasting a month or two and sometimes a year or so. I believe it's quite common in ASD folks, plus I read the stress of the pandemic has made tics more prevalent in otherwise NT kids.

p.s. ours are very common when watching tv. I don't know why! Seems to bring them out and I've seen the same in friends' kids who have Tourettes.

@ThisTownAintBigEnoughForBoth

p.s. ours are very common when watching tv. I don't know why! Seems to bring them out and I've seen the same in friends' kids who have Tourettes.

Oh interesting! His are definitely at their worst watching tv

Both my dcs had tics. The medication they're on definitely helped and ds2 doesn't get any now.

I had various tics when I was young.

@BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation

Both my dcs had tics. The medication they're on definitely helped and ds2 doesn't get any now.

I had various tics when I was young.

Was it an ADHD thing?

Ds1 is adhd and ds2 is autistic, so I think it's more an ND characteristic.

My DD age 12 is due to be assessed for ADHD and has developed a tic. She's anxious and gets worse when she is tired. Very noticeable once you see it

My teen daughter developed sudden onset of functional tics during the pandemic. She's on the waiting list for an asd assessment. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a high percentage of this cohort have either an ADHD or ASD diagnosis (or both).

I’m following this with interest as I have always wondered if my ds has ASD. We’ve never asked for an assessment as I’ve never felt we needed to push for one. However he has has, over the last few years, periods of different stutters and twitches/tics. Currently he has one where he sort of tilts his head and raises his eye brow. It was really frequent but seems to be getting less frequent the last week or two.

Do people think it’s worth referring to the dr about tics? Or only if they become problematic

My son has had mild facial tics on and off since he was about 4. They’re much less frequent now as a teen and when he was younger they would spring up periodically at times he was particularly tired or overwhelmed in general, so usually always present towards the end of a long school term.

I'm not diagnosed but have strong autistic traits and had some really annoying (to me and everyone else) tics in my pre-teens. The main one was really hard blinking but at my worst I was constantly gulping and throat clearing. It's never completely gone, as typing this post has triggered the throat clearing!

Ds2 (15, severely autistic) has developed almost constant tics over the past 18 months that we've not been able to alleviate. At his worst, it's constant noise and involuntary movement. We have an appointment with a neurologist, in a couple of months. It's at the point of him officially being diagnosed with tourettes but we also need to rule out the possibility of seizures.

@MissisBoote

My teen daughter developed sudden onset of functional tics during the pandemic. She's on the waiting list for an asd assessment. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a high percentage of this cohort have either an ADHD or ASD diagnosis (or both).

Fascinating. My DD has always been high energy but now looks more like inattentive ADHD for sure. Had dreadful time in lockdown as we were both working flat out and the DC left to own devices a lot and not in school

For a proper diagnosis tics are not a major factor. Stimming would be, repetitive behaviours also but not tics

So useful to hear others experience. I think too that it's appearing when she's feeling overwhelmed eg stressed over getting homework done or after a fall out with friends

I get the myoclonic jerks, usually in my right eye or thigh but I had a weird one in my lower back last week!

Feels completely different to the tics. The jerks just happen. There is a degree of control with the tics. They're like an itch that has to be scratched.

I don't think my DD is even aware. I don't want to ask her as she will then defo be aware... Tricky

@trainnane

I don't think my DD is even aware. I don't want to ask her as she will then defo be aware... Tricky

We’ve always gone down the route of not mentioning it. He’s never been aware and I didn’t want to make himself conscious about something outside of his control. I just used to take it as a sign he needed more down time so would usually just scale back on activities, keep life really low key and make sure he had opportunities to regulate lots.

@WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe Thx. I think we'll carry on doing the same and I'll start noting when it's more obvious. Tiredness is definitely one. It's only started in last 4-6 weeks.

@PickAChew These could be functional tics rather than tourettes, especially as they started so late and so suddenly. If they're functional tics but misdiagnosed as tourettes, the tourettes diagnosis is likely to further reinforce them. People can also have tourettes and functional tics which adds further diagnosis difficulties. The problem with misdiagnosis is that any medication is unlikely to work on functional tics.

My daughter's functional tics were completely debilitating and changed her life. Thankfully they have considerably reduced recently as her anxiety has reduced and she is no longer in the school environment (which she found immensely stressful).