New to forum...need help for 5-yr-old!

[goldilox73]

Hello. I am new to this forum and in need of some help for my 5-yr-old son. He has been exhibiting an "eye widening" tic since age 3 and 1/2. Additionally, he was diagnosed this past year by a psychologist with inattentive ADHD. The tic was subtle at first, and only picked up by our pediatrician during an annual visit. It had only been seen when my son was idle (watching TV, concentrating on something in front of him, etc). In the last few weeks, however, he's started doing it all the time! The eye widening is SO much more pronounced and frequent. My husband and I are TERRIFIED. There is no history of tic disorder or TS in either family. I brought him to a pediatric neurologist who did all the bloodwork for PANDAS, etc. All negative. My little boy is starting kindergarten in 2 weeks and I am ready to cry. I don't know what else to do or how to help him. The worst part is that I just don't know what to expect! What is the prognosis for a chronic motor tic disorder like this?? I absolutely do not want him medicated at age 5. He doesn't even know he's doing it. Please, if there is some advice for a newbie to this issue, I am all ears... Thank you very much for hearing me.

[dcdad]

I've been there...my son starting a head-jerking tic when he was 7 and we finally decided to give the Feingold Diet a try. It really helped my son. When he eats only natural foods, his tics are not noticeable at all. When he goes of the diet, the tics start up again. It was a little difficult at first, but once you know what to look for in foods, it's pretty easy. Our family is eating better and we all feel better.

Edited August 17, 2011 by dcdad

[lismom]

This is the tic my son had that ended up being related to allergies. I had him tested, we ended up doing shots and the tics did resolve. Sometimes allergies show up differently than the traditional way. Sometimes changing diet can help too. Kathy

[goldilox73]

Allergies? Really? Food allergies or environmental? My son has never had any allergies that I know of. Certainly, not with any of the classic reactions you'd think of. I am so careful about what I feed my kids. We have mostly organic food/fruit/veggies. Always organic milk. Am I doing something wrong? What about the ADHD? He appears to meet criteria for the inattentive type. Never any behavior management issues. Just a "fogginess" and difficulty shifting his attention from one thing to another. Could that be related? I am SO new to ALL of this and completely scared out of my mind. Your feedback is GREATLY appreciated...

[momaine]

you might want to see an LLMD and rule out Lyme Disease. It can cause Tics, ADHD, and fogginess in thinking. LYme can look just like PANDAS, which, btw, is a clinical diagnosis and there are no tests that prove one way or the other that one has pandas. (can have no elevated titers) Could you do a trial of the antibiotics that tend to help PANDAS/Lyme and see what his response to them are? Augmentin or Zithromax.

[Chemar]

Hi and welcome

with all the information coming out about overuse of antibiotics and mitochondrial damage, I really do not agree with just giving them without knowing they are needed.

I am not saying that you should not explore the possibility of Lyme, and also be sure that the tests done for PANDAS were accurate.....but personally I would not use antibiotics unless needed JMHO

 

There are lots of reports here of kids who do have allergy induced tics (both food and environemental) with dairy and gluten seeming to be the biggest culprits, so it is worth doing an elimination diet to see if things improve when you remove one food group at a time, and then if the tics increase when that food group is added back in.

The same applies to the ADHD symptoms

 

many other things can trigger childhood tics, and the good news is that more often than not, it is a transient tic disorder that resolves by itself.

Especially if you have no family history of TS or tics, I would be very cautious of that diagnosis being given and also of any medications in such a young child with a developing brain!

 

Do take a look at our Useful threads pinned to the top of this forum and also consider Sheila's book as a valuable resource.

[goldilox73]

Thank you, Chemar. I am always cautious about giving meds, and I definitely do not want to entertain the idea of meds for my little guy. I am also cautious about labeling him with a diagnosis... especially because he is just starting kindergarten. I don't even know if I should share this with the teachers. I just don't want them coming up to him every 5 minutes asking him, "are you ok? can you see? what's wrong with your eyes?" It's just so disturbing to watch as a parent. I keep thinking, "he had a couple of goose eggs on his head from falls, etc, in his short lifetime... maybe it's brain damage!" But, so many toddlers/preschoolers hit their heads and get banged up. Should I be asking for an MRI from the neurologist? Can a complex tic like this just go away on its own? Even if he's had it for a couple of years? I don't know enough about nutrition to change his diet on my own. (Being that he's five, he's already picky!) How do I determine what to remove/add to his diet safely? Sorry to ramble. I'm just so overwhelmed by this.

[Chemar]

Have you ever had his eye's tested? Sometimes young kids do eye movements when there vision is impaired.

 

If he has had a lot of head bumps it cannot hurt to ask a neurologist about MRIs, seizure evaluations etc.

We also have had some people here who discovered their tics may be associated with skeletal mis-alignment

whether in the jaw, neck, spine etc...so another thing to look into.

 

Many here seem to report eye tics associated with dairy allergy.

 

That pinned thread up top also has a link to an informal survey done here on Tic triggers...worth looking at!

[goldilox73]

Yes, the first thing I did when this tic started was have his eyes checked. Other than a slight astigmatism, she did not feel that was related to the tic. He's also had an EEG. No seizure activity.