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My ped. told me that allergies are a trigger. The smallest sensation can cause tics. When my son is stuffy he grunts to clear his ears/throat, hence the tic. Sometimes if it was not for the grunting sound I would not know to give him allergy meds. because he really doesn't complain about stuffiness. I am not a big fan of meds and we are dealing with a lot of tics this last week but between school, allergy and the stress of a house guest and his grandfathers illness who wouldn't tic? I hope i answered your question. Marie

Yes, prior to the onset of what we now know are tics, my son wold complain at night mostly about a swallowing problem. It was so upsetting to him. When I looked down his throat after aout a week one side of it was swollen. This perplexed his dr. This went on for the usual 4 to 6 weeks before it disappeared. Looking back from what I know now, it was a tic. But I would have it checked anyway. Better safe... Marie

Hi Beverly: Welcome to the forum. Looking back I too had seen the video triggers in my son. Of course it was winter and the x-box was the poison. It was an outward sign of crying while playing because he was unable to achieve the task. It was not the tics but the intense mood swings that preceeded the tics just a few weeks/months of the onset. But do not blame yourself. These vidoe games are everywhere and he would have come upon them somewhere else. A year plus has proved to be beneficial here with of course the usual set backs. Listen to the great information here about nutrition and diet and give yourself a chance to breath. He wll come through just fine. Take care of yourself and breath. Know that you are a great mother who will be able to help her child overcome these hurdles in life. God Bless and be well; Marie

Thanks for the words of encouragement. We are hopeful that this too shall pass. Until then we hug him more and more. Be Well: Marie

Hi All: Well we had a MAJOR set back this month and it includes vocal tics. Since vocal tics are new to us, I seemed overwhelmed, and full of stress. Being on vacation, which included an airplane trip, hocket games and junk food galoure, this chirping/squeel thing started to occur with high frequency. Noticable to everyone. THe poor thing got stares and being little could of cared less. In his words "noone cares Mom about the noise I make". With that said we enjoyed our time and there was only one person on the plane that was turning around and cutting looks, but my older son was bothering her more by popping his gum. THe more she looked at my little one, the more he popped his gum. It was actually funny to annoy a person like that. But anyway I will clean his diet again, and hope that this tic will go the way of the others. I am hoping school goes well today and pray that his words are words to live by that noone really cares about the noise... Since I have not done testing and read so much about PANDAS, I thing I will start testing this month. At least blood work to test for strep and the IGG. Any other suggestions? Be Well: Marie

I agree with Cheri, but I will go the extra mile and say that to push a child so that they do not remain the typical "in the box" person is a great thing if done correctly. My husband is an out of the box thinker and has enpowered my sons to excel in areas this mother hen would never have let them. But along with this enpowerment came self-esteem, self-respect and a want and love for what they do and not a struggle and a have to mentality because outside forces want them to act or do a way that others do. Maturity and helpful tools to use as a focus to remember will be what your child will develope if given the love and guidance from you. Not this "leader" choke choke. I would repectfully write her a letter thanking her for her views and that you will take it into consideration. However, before doing so you would like her list of references i.e., education, seminars or otherwise, before you take her advise and copy her pack leader. I am sure that a nicely structured letter would raise eyebrows and she will then be disciplined by her superiors. Always remember that you are a good mother and a great role model. Organizational skills are a learned behavior that becomes stregthened through maturity. She will do fine but the less pressure on her the better. Be Well; Marie

Hi Lisa: I agree with Andy regarding the schools intervention. A 3rd grade teacher once told me to place my son on aderal (spelling?). She said it would turn my "C" student into an "A" student. Instead I had him tutored. Chemar is right with the doc thing. Something that really needs mentioning is if you choose to take him off of the meds, do it right and under a docs supervision. I understand that these meds need to be withdrawn over time. Good Luck and post as much as you can the people here are great for info and support. Oh and if anyone can request something for this board....spell check would be nice for us who really rely on it Be Well; Marie

First things first, I must compliment you on noticing this in a child that is not your own and finding this site to try to help him. My hat is off to educators such as yourself who go the distance. I also agree that you must ignore the behavior for if it is a tic calling attention to it will promote a greater response. Also, I am sure the parents already notice and are most likely they are awaiting some response from an outside source. I remember when my child was blinking a lot and I was concerned. I thought that maybe I was just being a mother hen and making more out of it than was it was. I promised myself not to make an issue out of it until it presented itself in class. Two weeks later I received a note from the teacher. That was my wake up call. What a parent chooses to do with that information is up to them. BUt again hats off to you for noticing and educating yourself on how to handle this child. Be Well: Marie

Hi, It is called the healing crisis. I am all to familiar with it and that is one reason why you must take things slowly. I know as a parent all you want to do is quickly find a cure but for the most part I see that this journey is a mulit-piece puzzle that through time and trial and error only things can be discovered. I am 14 months on this journey and I am still finding things that my child is sensitive to. Since I started construction we have had many things including vocal stuff. So whatever it is paint or water proofing materials it seems to trigger a reaction. The more harsh the smell or dusty the house becomes the more he tics. Fish oil is a tricky thing. My little one was just down right mean when he was on it. So I backed off and his emotional behavior changed before my eyes. When he eats white breads, pasta, etc. in large quantities he tics. So with all of this rambling I guess I am telling you to take it slowly. Give half doses of supplements and work you way up and be on it for a week or two before adding to the mix. Good luck and if I can help just post. Be Well; Marie

Hi Sunshine: The way I view these tics is if they are not a genetic issue than they are caused by some sort of short wiring within the nervous system. The path I chose was not medicinal thus far but a more natural approach. Scared by the vitamin wall and with little/no knowledge of nutrition I found myself turning toward diet and food. My little one was moody, distant and had a hatred for being left behind at pre--school. His anxiety was at an all time high by 4 years old. THe interaction he had with us (his family) was minimal because he like to lose himself in TV. His complextion was pale. He was skinny and small for his age. His hair was dull and the appetitie was horrible. It consisted of cheese, milk, and pasta with junk food mixed in. By the time he was 6 our relationship was just upsetting. He was a jealous boy who did not want to participate in sports or have friends. He just wanted to watch TV with a plate of fod in front of him while the rest of the famly talked around the dinner table. WHen these tics appeared I has just blown away. With a dr. who want to place a script in my hand and no place left to turn I came here. I pulled strength from these great people and started a new life for us. First I cleaned the diet and removed the TV. With little results I turnhed to my health store keep who taught me about vitamins and finally I started to read a great little book about nutrition. With that I turned to organic veggie juice of which we all do daily as a family. Adding in acidopholus and a good multi we were able to take this child back. TOday he is 7. He is a cross country runner who came in the top 13 out of all the children in his age group in our county. He joined hockey. THe last time we forced him to join at age 5 he vomitted all over the ice because he did not want to leave the comfort of his home and TV. He now swims. His grades in school are above average. He loves his family and eats dinner at the table with us. He now eats a great diet with carefully selected goodies instead of junk. His hair is shinny and full, his complextion is great, he gained weight and grew and now is a little above the average for his age group. He laughs, giggles and expresses himself normally. And is just an all around happy boy. Does he still tic? The answer is yes. Noticable to me. Sometimes his cough/sniff tic is noticable to others but it is just apssed off as allergy. This is much better than the tensing, ticcing bending stretching facial grimmacing every few seconds that we experienced last year for a few months. But remember that curing by diet takes years and I am prepared to withstand the test of time for a good diet is key to an overall healthy lifestyle regardless of the tics. With all that being said always keep in mind that the body is a complex thing and that it can naturally detox itself if given the right tools. Preservatives, artifical colors and injectable vaccines cannot be detoxed naturally without proper nutrition. THe body must eliminate waste at least 2 times daily otherwise it reabsorbs these toxins and creates havic on the digestive system as well as creating cells that can ultimately damage the nervous system or any other organs. This is true, just look at just how many illinesses people have today. Our bodies are more polluted than Exit 13 on the New Jersey Turnpike. The body creates new cells every 28 days. If our bodies do not have the minerals and vitamins it needs it will create sick cells which than will cause illness. Our digestive tract breaks down our food and without proper enzymes our bodies cannot absorb the vitamins and minerals. Some people will supplement enzymes while others like me will juice. I hope what I posted helps but always remember to take things slowy. Be Well: Marie

Hi Sunshine and Welcome; First things first take a deep breath and know that this is yet another thing that you and your child will overcome. The thing that I keep in mind that regardless of tics, asthma, allergy or whateverelse comes down the pike, it does not make your child less perfect in your eyes. I went through many feelings in the beginning of this journey and fear was the worst one. In time and slowly putting puzzle pieces together you will be able to control elements that will build on the health and well being of your child. I see you have read many posts here and there are so many educated people who you can always count on here on this site. I have learned much more here than any one place ever. Take the information here and slowly apply it. Slow and steady always wins the race. So if you have any questions, we are here for you. FYI if lights are an issue check out all of the post on pyloria. Claire wrote on that and it is interesting and full of valuable information. Allison, I am so glad to hear things are well. We are ok here. The cough tic lasted a couple of days and we are doing better. Just stuff I notice you know. Be Well; Marie

Welcome Noelle; You have come to the right place for information and support. It seems as though you experienced tics for the last year since you received the diagnosis recently. Remember that a diagnosis is just that. It does not change any of the symptoms. It does not present anymore or less of an issue and that the medical community needs to give you this information because it justifies the costs. Now with that being said and with you being new to this forum the information that you will find is overwhelming at times and confusing. It sends you running to the vitamin store looking blankly at a huge wall of bottles. It makes you clean out your pantry and throwing away anything that is not natural. It makes you read the back of everything you eat. All note worthy things but what I learned is you first have to take a deep breath and relax. Remember that this is a life long journey and that we can lessen the symptoms of any illness with proper nutrition, less stress, much love and a lot of prayer. Many here choose supplementation, alternative medicines that include much testings that traditional doctors do not pay much attetnion to. But if you read, proceed slowly, and become the detective that we all have become, the pieces of your puzzle will come togehter. But welcome and if you have any questions just post there are many smart and experienced people on this site. Be Well; Marie

Hi All, I have not posted in a while but have stopped in from time to time. It sounds like much progress was made over the holidays. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and I am hopeful that 2006 will be a great year. We are off to a slow start. My little one has developed the cough tic and we are trying to combat this. It is difficult since we are having construction done to the basement and the mold is kicking up. Oddly enough the tic started the night that construction was first started. Besides providing more ventalation, are there any thoughts? Anyway, I hope all continue to do well and a special hello to Chemar and Allison. Be Well; Marie

Hi Allsion, Sorry for the late response. Again, we seem to be on the same page. Croup is in my house as well and yes the birthday parties come fast and furious. But I self inflicted last week. I gave my son a birthday party for he and his schoolmates at a place that does theme parties. It was to be a dino dig with music. I booked it sight unseen. When I arrived it was disco balls and stobe lights, loud music and light animation throughout. Ice cream sundaes, pizza, you name it. It really was a great party and I allowed it knowing full well what we were risking. It will be 7 days ago tomorrow. The only thing we experienced so far was what he explained as tingling in his leg. I would say it was muscle spasms becuase you could actually feel it when you placed your hand on his leg. Of course all of the worry that we do slowly creeps up on us. This is a tough time of year for all. I truley am riddled with anxiety about what we should hold back on. After all we all want that well rounded child and setting limits because of these tics are painful for all of us. I wish I had the magic words because being left out is painful and so is ticcing. I too have not went to a movie in a year and I think that is my most fearful event. Thank God for DVD's and early releases. The play date with the b'day boy is a great alternative and being that there were so many other things going on is a great distraction to the big picture. So you seemed to middle of the road it and hats off to you. I hope things continue to go well and I probably won't be posting for a little while because of work, holidays and many other things to do. In short if I do not get a chance to post Happy Holidays to All. Be Well; Marie

Hi Mommaonamission: Just a thought, the no screen thing takes time. I believe Claire said as much as a week to see any change. Also, communcation is a must. THe emotion can bring on more anxiety, that leads to more ticcing. Take him out for a bike ride, or run. Board games to pass the time is a great thing. No TV brought our family much closer. Something I would have not experienced or benefited from if I not been forced to shut the TV off. Remember this is a slow process and we are a society that thinks that things can be solved within the time of a sitcom. But the truth is that your joureny will take months of trial and error and you will gain ground. Before you know it you'll say WOW it's been 10 days since anything. There will always be set backs, but remember that your child is healthy and needs your unconditional love to get him through this. Your anxiety, even if hidden, does show through and once you are comfortable with him, he will be confortable with himself. I hope that helped? Be Well; Marie