Mom Needing Help with Nervous Ticks

Well, if it's something he's knowing and voluntarily doing, I'd tell him to knock it off. If it's an uncontrolable, a trip to the ped. is definately in order.

Hi T.,

You should take him to the doctor immediately and get a diagnoses. Especially if his school work is being affected. I'm no expert but it sounds like your son could have Tourettes syndrome. Call his pediatrician and get him in soon. If you let it go it will only get worse and I'm sure it wont be long before other kids start to notice and tease him about it. If it is some kind of syndrome then atleast you can prepare him and treat it properly before his school work suffers any more.
GOOD LUCK
K.

I would get him tested for tourettes. He may not be able to control the ticks and they do have meds that can help with the ticks.

I am certainly no expert either, but I agree that you should get your son to the doctor immediately to determine if this could be Tourette's Syndrome.

Good luck!

T.,
I could possibly be staring seizures. I would take him to a neurologist and have them check him out. Don't let it get any farther...I am a teacher and I will tell you that by third grade kids start noticing differences in each other and they can be pretty cruel. Good luck.
K.

The only thing i can think of in your sons case is that he is either experiencing little siezures or like another mom suggested, terets. Just take him to a doctor and get professional help and advise. It may or may not be serious, but only a doctor can tell you for sure. Good luck and keep us posted.

My brother started that,when he was about 8. My stepmom who is a huge hypochondriac told us he had several different things..seizures,brain tumor,..etc... However they did finally diagnose him with a mild case of touretts syndrome. Im not sure that he has any treatment for it,but your sons issues sound similar to my brothers. I would take him to your dr. and just go from there.

i would go to the ped and have him set up an appointment with a neurologist. the thing with the head and eyes sounds like it could be a seizure.my uncle does this and it is called a silent seizure.please let us know how your son is. best wishes T. b

Talk to the doc ASAP! Anything like that could be a sign of a neurological issue. We have a niece with Tourrett's Syndrome that started off that way. Don't let that scare you. There are wonderful medications available and our niece looks and behaves like a normal teen. I would try to get in to see your Pediatrician and I would take along a list of any medications or supplements your son is taking. Also document when the ticking occurs and what activity your child is involved in when it happens. Have you noticed any sleep or behavior problems since this started? Best wishes for your family.
L.

My cousin started doing almost exactly the same thing when she was about 6 years old (there is a 13 year differance in our ages and I am close to my aunt, thats how I know) and she was diagnosed with epilepsy. In children epilepsy is usually noticed about this age, but it is treatable with medication. My cousin is now 11 years old, is doing very well, and they are considering taking her off her medications. She was lucky and did not have it very badly, but I also would encourage you to get this checked out. I am not sure exactly what kind of Dr. to take your son to, but you probrably should. You can also do some research on line, Web MD is great for questions www.webmd.com Good luck!!

I am not an expert, but I have seen this before and have you looked into Tourette's Syndrome? It may or may not be the case with your son, but I would get him to a doctor. There are treatments that can help if this is the diagnosis. The school isn't going to be able to do anything if this is a physical or neurological problem. You may need to keep pushing with the doctor to do some testing to find out what is causing this. Or, be referred to a specialist.

Hi T.,
Have you brought this to the attention of your pediatrician? A pediatric neurologist might even be better. He or she can tell you more about verbal tics, if that's what this is. Best wishes!
B.
P.S. I just saw the other responses, sorry for duplicate info!

You need to look into Tuurettte Syndrome with your Ped. My oldest brother was diagnosed at an early age and he was then medicated to control his ticks but he then grew out of them at about age 19 or so. There are alot of good medications out there right now but, make sure that you look into the side effects. I know that alot of them can cause wieght gain and one of the boys that was in my brothers group gained about 100 lbs over three years. Good luck and be patient.

I don't want to freak you out, but are you sure he isn't having mini-seizures? Sometimes seizures can be a little tick or rolling eyes, or even just a period of zoning out. If the allergy meds don't help, you may want to look into this. I'd also start to document how often/when/what is going on when this happens, etc. Good luck.

T.,

My brother in law just went through the same thing with my nephew (also 8 years old). It started with the eyes and then throat clearing, now mild movements in his arms. He was checked out by a neurologist and has a mild case of Tourette's. Mostly found in boys at this age. He could grow out of it or as they hit puberty it increases. It can effect school, though my nephew is excelling at it and sports. There are several sites on it if you want more information. However, I would suggest discussing it with your doctor first and seeing a neurologist if necessary. No sense in getting upset if it is nothing to worry about.

Hopefully this gives you some direction.
Good luck!
S.

Hi T., I read your post and what you need to do is to take him to a pediatrician and to a psycologist and have him tested. It could be aspergers, a mild form of autism or tourettes. I have a 12 yr old that does this thing with his fingers and his eyes look cross and he makes these noises. he too is having focusing problems in school. I noticed the other posts say to take him to the doctor. Try a psycologist to get him tested. I did with mine. Please , the sooner, the better to take him so that help can be put in place for him in school so he won't fail.

I agree with the other moms - get him to the doctor asap. If you are not satisfied with his suggestions, go to a specialist for your son. Good luck

I would take him to his pediatrician and see what he says of course. I am not a doctor, but my husband has tourette syndrome. He was diagnosed in second grade because of a severe temper and tics. I have learned that it is more common in boys and that the risk of passing it on to a son is great. It is very possible that one or all of our boys will develop it. I think with advances in medication and knowledge of the syndrome, children today have a much better time coping. I don't know if this response really helped you feel better, but please feel free to contact me personally if you want to talk.

i would check with your doctor. i'm a high school coach and one of my students had similar issues (she "cooes" as well) and she has tourrettes. she's on medication for it and when she is on medication you cant even tell. good luck!