5 year old
 

I am worried that my five year old has TS. My other kids do not have it. He at first would clear his throat a lot. I took him to doctor and they found nothing but gave him allergy meds which seem to help that problem. Then he started moving his tounge a lot. Now he makes a sound like hum..a lot..and twist his mouth a lot. I do not think that I can explain what he does. He is very sensitive. My nephew was jerkin his neck and blinking his eyes constantly. I am taking him to doctor and psychologist to find out what it may be. Any helpful suggestions if it is TS?

Hi,
I just wanted to say welcome to the NeuroTalk Support Groups.

My children are adults now and thankfully there are more resources available these days and there is better information. Generally you'll find that doctors and others are more knowledgeable.

My suggestion would be that if he is diagnosed with TS and the doctor offers medications immediately then I would be very wary. I'd learn as much as I could about Tourette's Syndrome remembering that it's different for everyone.

If you can, start a private diary where you can just jot down anything that is of concern to you before you actually go to the doctors. e.g. has he been sick with anything prior to the onset of tics, or has he had a tic for a little while and suddenly there are more, the fact that his nephew has what appear to be tics.

I'd make as little fuss as possible about his doctors visits and his tics. Children who are that age often worry very much about what's going on.

You mention that your nephew has tics. Has he been diagnosed with TS?

I'm hoping some of the other mums who have little children will stop by and offer you some advice as well. Please let us know how you get on with the doctor. Just remember that hugs and reassurance go a long long way and the less stress and worry in the environment the better.

Letter to Parents of Children Newly Diagnosed from TSplus

Overview of Tourette's Syndrome from TS plus

Common Tics of Tourette's Syndrom from TSplus

First I noticed it in my nephew because my son was really young then. My nephew had a very noticeable tic but I thought that it may be because he was having a lot of stress. Then my son started clearing his throat constantly and I asked him what was wrong and he said he didn't know and he cant quit. I took him to doctor and they did not see anything but she did give him allergy meds and stuff did come up and then he quit so I thought ok and did not think anything else about it. Then he started doing something funny over and over with his tounge. I asked him to quit and he said he couldn't. Then he started making a hum noise a lot and still does that. Once his face was twitching too. Then a different nephew went with me to town and he was making that same hum noise and I asked him why he was doing it and he said he didn't know. Then later he was on computer with headphones on and he was making that noise and I asked my sister and she said that he does that. She said sometimes she is in her room and can hear him making that sound all the way in her room. I have not seen my other nephew in a bit but his mom said he is doing the tic with his face. I know that when I was young people said that I blinked my eyes a lot and they picked at me but that is all I did and my niece blinks her eyes a lot but that is it. but I am going to get my son under doctor but is there anything that can be done about it?

ugh. I wrote a really long post and lost the whole thing by leaning on my keyboard. Silly me. :rolleyes: I'll try again...

Hi,
I think it's always good to get a medical check-up if you have any concerns about your child. There are other conditions where tics are a symptom and they can be ruled out. Most times that can be done by just talking with you and taking a history.

The Tourette Syndrome Association of the USA (if that is where you live) has a referral set-up if that is of any help to you. You can email them ts@tsa-usa.org or phone them and they'll send you info. about doctors and allied health professionals in your particular area who are knowledgeable about Tourette Syndrome. The details for all that are on the TSA-USA website in the section titled "For Parents"

Having said that, it's good to remember that tic disorders run on a spectrum. There are transient tics of childhood, chronic motor tics, chronic vocal/phonic tics as well as tourette syndrome. It's not uncommon for a child to have a tic or tics during rapid development stages. Often those will totally disappear. If not, and your child is diagnosed in the future with TS then the best thing you can do is learn as much as you can.

What can be done about the tics.... well, that depends.

Usually treatments such as medication etc., are not necessary if tics are mild and do not cause distress or pain or interfere in a child's daily life. The best thing in that situation is education. Education for the child so that they know in age appropriate terms so that they are not afraid of what is happening to them. This is really important I feel.

Education is also important for the people who have contact with your child. People and peers at school or sport or kindy or family. It's also helpful, because the kindy or school teachers can also alert you to any other difficulties that your son may be experiencing when he's not in his home environment. Education also goes a long way in helping stop the teasing and the bullying and you have experienced that yourself sadly.

Allergies. People who already have an underlying tic disorder, sometimes find that certain allergies can trigger specific tics. e.g. sniffing tics or throat clearing tics. Same with eye blinking which is actually a very common tic.

Sorting out any triggers can be helpful... whether they're seasonal allergies or food allergies, even things like pool chemicals etc. Having said that, the very nature of Tourette Syndrome is that the symptoms/tics tend to wax and wane, so sometimes it's difficult to figure out if something is actually triggering a specific tic or set of tics or whether it's typical waxing and waning.

Stress. Stress doesn't cause tics. Again, in people who already have an underlying tic disorder, then it is possible for tics to be exacerbated during stressful times or events

Sorry to be so long-winded. Probably was a good thing that my first post got lost. It was about 3 times as long. LOL :)

Keep us posted!

Hi
 

My son started at about six or seven years old by simple facial tics such as blinking scrunching nose and mouth grimacing.Then in puberty went to head nodding head shaking humming like you mentioned touching hair then inapropiate comments. As lara said alot of children can experience tics at some point in there childhood but to get a firm TS diagnosis in the uk you have to have two physical tics and one vocal tic for more than a year.Its best to record tics noticed and when started so you can go to the doctor clear on info .

Thank you so much for all of your information. My son does face movements like to the side a lot, humming and throat clearing last night. My nephew however was humming loudly last night and did not realize it. Im going to get a journal and write down what he does and I am going to mention it to doctor but will not push the point. I will wait till it has been a year unless she wants to pursue it. I will keep you updated.