Vocal tics?

[bethben]

Anyone deal with this? Ever since my daughter's ear surgery a year ago, she has had some sort of vocal outburst. Last month, it was a whistle when she got stressed or excited, this week, it's a pretty loud WOO! WOO! Any help for this?

Beth

[sbgrace]

My son has had some vocal tics. I don't know, for him, whether they fall under the umbrella of tourettes (he does have OCD) or more his spectrum stuff. In his case, though, the same ones stick around for a very long time. His two major ones were repeating the last word (or sometimes sound) of his sentences "Let's go to the park, park, park or park, k, k, k" and throat clearing.

 

We've been treating OCD with N-acetyl cysteine for the past year (my son takes 600 mg. twice a day). Now that I think of it, I'm not seeing the vocal tics either. I just looked up and they are doing a phase 2 clinical trial for pediatric tourettes with NAC, at the same dosage we're using for regular OCD. http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/nct01172288 So, I suspect I've treated the tics too without realizing! This is a (very) safe thing to try if you want to. It's been used in other pediatric conditions for a  long time. My son's doctors are unanimously comfortable with our use. The study I linked does give their dosage protocol (working up to it) if you want to try. It's available over the counter.

 

 

[dbmamaz]

Thats odd that it started after surgery, although it could just be age - they tend to start in early elementary.

 

My son eventually got a Tourettes dx, but most of his tics are more subtle - repeating words under his breath, humming and stammering in the middle of talking, throat clearing.  When he's stressed he'll repeat what people are saying, which can be problematic when someone is angry .. . his tics are partly controlled by his bipolar meds.

[geodob]

Though a question is whether it is volitional or not?

With a 'tic', one has no control over it, and it is a reflex response.

Where I wonder if it is volitional?

The change from a 'whistle' to a 'loud woo woo', raises the question of whether she made a choice in this change?

 

Though this raises the broader question about how we learn to express and communicate different feelings?

Where I might ask how you express and communicate feelings of stress or excitement?

But for feelings of excitement, a pretty loud Woo Woo seems very suitable?

 

An inflection change to Woo Woo, can change its meaning to 'hold up and stop'. 

Which can express and communicate one is under stress.

 

So that perhaps she is exploring ways to vocally express her feelings?

 

 

 

 

[Tiramisu]

I have one who makes a lot of noises like what you describe, whistling, shouting, squealing.  It comes in bursts and lasts a day or two, usually when she's happy. I see it as an expression of her every excitable, impulsive personality. She feels; she lets it out, loudly. She is not a little kid and seems otherwise normal. She is a sensory seeker and that may have something to do with it. Beside telling her to keep it down if it's bothering people, I don't do much about it. I try to pick my battles wisely. ;)