Hi All!

[Dawn]

Hi!

I have a 5 year old son who has been developing tics over the past year. It started last May when our neighbor boys locked him in their garage. It was pretty traumatic for him, and he started sniffing his fingers. I thought it was a tic, as my daughter had a vocal tic (cough) when she was 5. We watched it, and after about 6 months it disappeared.

Around February he developed a vocal tic, a cough exactly like his sister had. In March he also started with a tic that sounded like a sighing "huh". It's actually a sweet little noise, which makes it a little less grating to hear constantly. He tics everyday, up to 30 times a minute while he is watching TV or playing a video game. When he is talking or playing it is significantly less. Maybe once or twice a minute. Last night I noticed he was putting his thumbs in his mouth, first one then the other. I blew it off, hoping it was nothing. Today it is fully incorporated into his ticking repertoire.

Our doctor has asked us to send him videos, which he is currently viewing. I'm not sure what his plan is, or what he is thinking. He did say he wants to rule out seizures. I'm a little nervous because he is starting kindergarten in the fall. He already has a difficult time making friends and is uncomfortable in new social situations.

At this point I don't think he has hit the requirements for a dx, but I was wondering if his rapid increase in the number of tics, and the presence of complex motor tics makes it more likely that he will receive a diagnosis of TS?

I am really glad to have found an active forum to come to for support.

Dawn

[Steve]

Hello Dawn and welcome to the Forum!

It sounds like you're going about it the right way, and from your description of the doctor you're consulting, the doctor has experience with childrens' tic disorders and Tourette Syndrome.

At this point I don't think he has hit the requirements for a dx, but I was wondering if his rapid increase in the number of tics, and the presence of complex motor tics makes it more likely that he will receive a diagnosis of TS?

I would defer to Tina, at the TSFC to further comment on your question, Dawn so please check back for her reply in a few days.

It started last May when our neighbor boys locked him in their garage.

What a terrible thing to have happened to your son. Do you feel there might be some bullying because of his tic expressions, or was this just a one time playful, but stupid stunt?

[Dawn]

What a terrible thing to have happened to your son. Do you feel there might be some bullying because of his tic expressions, or was this just a one time playful, but stupid stunt?

They are just bullies. His tics actually started right after that. I hadn't thought about them bullying him because of his tics, I should have a talk with their mom about that.

[Geneva]

Is there a possibility that you could home school? School is a really tough place for TS. If I could do it over again I would have never put my son in public school. Just look at the most replies and views on this blog "dealing with my sons school" my son went to public school until 3rd grd when his tics started. It was the best thing I've ever done. He is so much happier and so am I. Schools are full of bullies and from our experience teachersvreally don't care. They leave it up to the kids being bullied to resolve the issue on thier own. You know I heard that most bullies end up being add or adhd. Btw the finger smelling is OCD with your son. A CBT method for him would be to touch something he percieves as dirty and then not smelling for 10 min. Until the anxiety comes down on it's own. Then let him wash his hands for a normal time. Goodluck!

[Tina]

Hi Dawn,

Welcome to the TSFC Forum.

How terrible for your son to be locked in a garage by other kids!
An event like that could like that could trigger an increase in tics, but agreed that he may have already been showing tics if he was singled out for this bullying. What were the consequences for the other kids for their actions?

You refer to his sister's tics in your post. Has she already been diagnosed? It sounds like your doctor is on top of things if he is viewing videos of the tics.

In terms of starting school in the fall, younger kids are very accepting of differences, and educating them about your son's Tourette will help that transition into school. I suggest you take a look at the Kids Korner page of the TSFC website. There is also a video called Tourette is Powerful that is a perfect tool to introduce TS to his class - and also imparts a strong anti-bullying message.

Finally, take a look at the resources for you as a family and of course, for his teacher in the fall. If he has a diagnosis before the school year, set up a meeting with his teacher and the principal of the school so you can work together to make sure he has the best transition possible to being in kindergarten.

We're also here at the National office from 9 am to 5 pm EST to answer any questions you might have.
Telephone: (905) 673-2255
Toll Free: 1 (800) 361-3120

[Dawn]

Is there a possibility that you could home school?

I would love to homeschool, but it's not possible for us. I am finishing up a teaching degree this coming year, then I need to work.

I hadn't thought about finger smelling being OCD, but it makes sense... thanks for the insight and suggestion!

---------- Post added at 01:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:50 PM ----------

What were the consequences for the other kids for their actions?

I'm not sure what their parents did, but it surely wasn't enough. They came over and apologized to us. We didn't let those boys play in our yard for about a year, and my kids weren't allowed in their yard either. Eventually my son decided he wanted to play with them again, and now he can play with them supervised.

You refer to his sister's tics in your post. Has she already been diagnosed?

She was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She only had one tic, but she had problems with OCD, but they didn't give her the diagnosis. By the time we got her the help she needed she was a mess. She was on Prozac for a year. In January she came off of it and she hasn't had problems since. Although we will always watch out, now that we know she is prone to it.

Thank you for all the resources, I will look into them!