Need Help <Please> My Almost 5 Yo DS Has Developed TICS !!!!! I Am So Upset

Updated on December 20, 2011
C.W. asks from Plainview, NY
8 answers

They first appeared when Dad was away for 2 weeks. They have gotten progressively worse. I am so upset..... Any advice would be appreciated. Any DR or Therapist recommendations would be great. It is all so new to me. THanks in advance :)

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So What Happened?

thanks, girls. let me clarfy- its my son and Dad has returned from trip. DS tics have gotten worse after Dad
'return.

Any experience with drs. Therapists and treatment s out there? TIA

12-19 I have an appt with ped. and getting ref. for neurologist Any Cognitive Behvioral THerapist recs. out there- Long Island or any of the 5 boroughs of NYC would be appreciated.

Not sure how to add a comment to the thread so I update my So what happened section. I wish i could just add a comment at the bottom like other boards. :)0 TIA, again

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S.N.

answers from Minneapolis on

A lot of kids have tics .. I remember having them and my mother taking me tot he Dr. .... typically all they say is that it will go away and you should just watch and wait.

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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

You might be interested in this article from last week's Wall St. Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020351840457...

The article pertains to a condition related to strep infections (PANDAS), and the potential neurological ramifications (including tics).

Good luck and I hope you find some answers.

3 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

As Elaine says it is stress and loss of control and loss of normalcy for her.

Give her back some control. Set a scheduled time each day that she can talk to dad . If this is not available, then set up a few times a day for her to work on some "projects" for dad.. Like a memory book.. or write a letter, draw a picture. cut out pictures and make a collage..

Think of different titles for each project page. Dad is as tall as a..... Dad likes to ..... Dads favorite things...

You also can sit next to her and do your own page. This is showing her you are also missing dad.

Dad can help by sending her letters, by being the one to call her at a certain time.. Maybe let her sleep with one of dads shirts. If you guys can skype.. do it.

Stay calm. the more stress you have the more she will feel it and respond.

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V.M.

answers from Cleveland on

I'm glad Amanda linked to the Panda article. If DS had been sick and this was a result of that then i would hate for you to even link dad's trip iwth this.
If there is no sickness you can relate it too, then having a professional check it out can do NO HARM, they aren't going to make a 5 you feel selfconcious, they would probably just do an observation and give you advice on how to deal with it. And they may say don't worry it's normal but atleast you would have the peace of mind that a professional (not someone from a message board) has told you its normal. go to your family dr.

3 moms found this helpful

M.J.

answers from Milwaukee on

My son did the same thing around that age. It lasted about 2 years. There was no real stress in his life. His ped. said we could see a neurologist, which I skipped. I did not think there was a major problem. I had a few ticks as a young child too. Now he is 8 and I barely notice any ticks. He had them pretty bad to. He had a complex tic in the mix called palilalia which he does still do occasionally.

Now I am starting to notice a bit of tics in my 4.5 yo DD. Just eye squeezing. Maybe it's hereditary.

I did not do therapy or any of that. I never really mentioned the tics to him as I did not want to make him feel self conscious. I had his teacher keep any eye out at school and let me know if they got worse there. They did not. I would not worry. I have read it can be very normal at this age.

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L.W.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi. My 16 year old daughter developed tics when she was five. We saw a neurologist and he informed us that 20 percent of kids have tics. They are worse when kids are anxious or are not getting enough sleep. Tics are on the spectrum of Tourette's syndrome. This terrified me, but each case is different. My daughter was able to develop a signal to let her teacher know if they got bad so she could go out to the hall to "stretch". This helped her relieve them without embarassment. She never had any social repercussions at all. There is medication out there, but most of the time the side effects of the meds are much worse than the tics. She has now mostly outgrown hers. Good luck!

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E.B.

answers from Beaumont on

Tics are stress related so it makes since that this first appeared while dad was away for 2 weeks. Maybe this article will help you. http://www.webmd.com/brain/tic-disorders-and_twitches
I would just do lots of research to put your mind at ease. Arm yourself with the facts. You should get alot of specialist advice from her pediatrition.
In the meantime, reduce her stress as much as possible and make sure she's getting enough rest. It will be okay, she'll get the help she needs.

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J.G.

answers from New York on

My 5 year old son developed a tic in the spring. I let it go for a few days then brought him in to the pediatrician. He assured me it was common in boys (of course, everything is more common with boys never girls... ). He told me it could go away, or lessen over time, then come back either as the same tic, or as a dfferent type of tic. Over the summer, he was "tic-free". Sept/Oct it came back. We went back to the dr and he told me the same thing (both times doing an exam on him, physical and neurologcal) & again reassured me it's common in boys, it can come and go, and the best advice he had was NOT to address it to my son. Dont ask.hi about it, tell him to stop-dont say a word. The same went for family, friends, teachers... everyone was to not talk to him about it. It lasted about 6 weeks and for the time being is at bay. A few of my friends have had the same issue/concern with their sons and it came and went as well.

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