Boys and Tics

[momtolgd]

Our oldest ds just turned 10. Off and on through his life he has done some repetitive behaviors...the first I remember being when he was 4 and kept licking his lips for about a month. We thought that he might have some form of OCD or something. Now as I am researching this, I think they might actually be tics.

 

The oddest one he's done is touching his foot to his face (cheek). He did that for a month or so a few years ago.

 

For the past two weeks I have noticed him jerking his head every so often to the right.

 

When he had his eyes checked back in April, he was told his eyes are especially sensitive to light because they teared up when the doc shined the light on them. Since then he seems to go into fits of blinking. Has it become a tic?

 

We also have noticed some grimaces and strange facial things lately.

 

What I am reading indicates that tics can peak in boys before and during puberty, and I'm guessing he is at the right age. He has a doc check up next month, and I plan to ask then about it. In the meantime, has anyone here dealt with this, and how should we handle it with him?

[Moxie]

My son tics when his life becomes stressful (vacation bible school for 2 weeks in a row this summer caused him to tic). When I point out to him that he is making a noise he looks at me like I'm nuts; he really has no idea he is doing it. We ignore it and they have always gone away.

[Sugarfoot]

If they're tics, the best thing you can do, IMO, is not draw attention to them.

:grouphug:

[momtolgd]

Thanks...and I have noticed they are worse when he is stressed. We will try to ignore them and hope they go away.

[MamaAkins]

My son (now age 9) has also had periodic facial tics, beginning at age 2 and continuing. He can go months without doing any of them, but at stressful times or if he's run down/fighting off an illness, he sometimes starts again. The tics have included: lip licking; eye blinking (this is the most frequent one), nose twitching, mouth opening. Our pediatrician said that the best thing to do is to try not to put too much attention on the tics because drawing his attention to it will only make him self-conscious and will probably lead to an increase in the frequency. I will say that he seems to be doing it less and less now that he's getting older....I pray that he outgrows them altogether.

[carmensmom]

Our 10 yr old son also has had a history of non-vocal tics. We find that they are transient, thank goodness. I name them (LOL) so I can keep track of them. For example, the bird tic means he bobs his head like a bird; bug eyes means literally that--he bugs his eyes out; the gollum tic (think Lord of the Rings) means he is doing this weird throat noise thing.

 

He also has displayed shoulder shrugging, sniffing and a bizzare grimace. Stress is def a factor and he is unaware that he is doing it. My biggest fear is that he will be teased at school when the kids start to pick up on them.

 

I too, would love to hear from other parent about how you deal with it.

[*********]

Zee has been diagonsed by our pediatrician with transient tic disorder. Basically, that means he gets a tic sometimes, it last for a few weeks, then it goes away. He may have none for a while, and he may have a few at one time.

 

His tics are not really noticeable to others outside our family. And it's not really a big deal. But yeah, I am hoping he outgrows it eventually.

[angela in ohio]

Don't know about the gender difference, but my oldest dd has tics. They peaked at about age 12, and they are almost gone now. My family doctor told me that she would send us for a follow-up if we wanted, but that if they changed often and didn't last longer than six months each, that we were fine to just watch and wait. We chose watch and wait. We didn't need the diagnosis for any purpose. My nephew also has it, but he is in school, and so they got the diagnosis for him.

 

Our dc come by these things honestly. I had mild OCD when I was a child (had to do things on both sides of the body or a certain number of times) and dh had major sensory issues (couldn't wear socks or eat certain foods, etc.) We both outgrew it (mostly :D) so we weren't so concerned about dd.

[helena]

Your son might get some benefit from taking epsom baths. It soothes the bones and muscles after an exhausting day of tics. It can also help you sleep more peaceful, which can be hard during bad spells.

[momtolgd]

Thank you all...it sounds like it isn't so unusual, and not something to really worry much about. I feel a bit better about it now.