My son has some sort of verbal tic

[Moxie]

My 9 year old has always been...different. I'm sure if we had him tested he would be on some sort of spectrum. I'm pretty sure he had/has a sensory disorder (but it is getting better with age). He talks to himself all the time.

 

In the past week he has developed a verbal tic. When someone else is talking or if he is watching TV, he will make a wierd sound and then say, "kay" (short for 'okay') under his breath. He doesn't seem to realize he is doing it. He went through a phase doing this about a year ago but it went away after a few weeks. Could it be the "stress" of Vacation Bible School? He had fun but he didn't know anyone there and it was a new situation. I have no other ideas. What do I do to help this kid? I don't know where to start.

[ChristusG]

It could be stress. I have tics sometimes (not verbal ones though) and they can tend to be more evident in stressful times. I wouldn't call him out on it though....he can't help it and hopefully it will resolve itself in a short time span.

[Hillary in KS]

It could be allergies as well.

 

My son developed a verbal tic at your ds' age. Long story short - ds is VERY allergic to ragweed, and the tic appeared alongside a clearing of the throat sound during ragweed season (August/ Sept.).

 

When we treated the allergy, the tics went away. :)

[Denisemomof4]

the less attention you draw to it, the better. My dd does this when tired or stressed, and drawing attention to it made it worse. Now, a year and a half after I became concerned, it's almost completely gone. It happened mostly when tired.

 

Can it be a stutter with your ds?

[specialmama]

:iagree: The best thing to do is nothing. Love him, be mama bear and don't let others talk about it in front of him. If they do, it is good to have a few lines you could whip out quickly so you're not caught off guard, such as, "hey, when I'm busy thinking of something I sometimes tap my teeth together, or chew my fingernails. We all have little things we do. No big deal." Really, just brush it off. It's kind of like stuttering, the more you make of it, the worse it will get.

[smrtmama]

Honestly, if this is something that is sudden, but constant, I'd consider bringing it up with his pediatrician. My son developed some nervous compulsions a few years ago and it ended up being caused by his allergy meds.