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Do you or autistic people that you know have a tic
ofwarren · 02/03/2022 19:11
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?
Hoardasurass · 02/03/2022 19:55
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
BoardLikeAMirror · 02/03/2022 20:37
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.
ofwarren · 02/03/2022 20:41
@BoardLikeAMirror
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.
BoardLikeAMirror · 02/03/2022 20:53
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.
Whatinthelord · 18/03/2022 23:23
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
WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe · 18/03/2022 23:25
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.
PickAChew · 18/03/2022 23:33
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.
trainnane · 18/03/2022 23:33
@MissisBoote
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
PickAChew · 18/03/2022 23:38
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.
WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe · 18/03/2022 23:48
@trainnane
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.
MissisBoote · 19/03/2022 09:18
@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).
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