3 year old just started severe head tics, suspected of TS - in need of

[kim]

Debbie,

 

Have been hoping you would have a chance to drop in and let us know how your son's appt. went.

 

It was good to hear that you have seen a reduction in tics.

 

It would be wonderful to hear that you have an open minded neurologist, but if you had the same experience that most of us have had, sadly, that's probably not the case. More than likely you were told that yeast, metal, allergies etc. have no relation to what your son is experiencing. Just keep reading, asking questions and along with considering your Neurologist opinion, go with your Mommy instincts!

 

To borrow a phrase from another poster, your conventional neurologist is one voice, not necessairly the whole choir.

 

Kim

[DebbieB]

Well, forgive me for taking so long to get back here. I have been very sick with the flu and still trying to take care of my son Justin who has had double ear infections which aren't clearing up with antibiotics.

 

Anyways, the nuerologist we saw was supposed to be the best in the Children's center. He said that he thought it was either general tics or stereotypic movement disorder. He said that he would expect it to resolve within about 2-3 years. We spoke of my other son's blinking and he thought that was also hopefully short termed.

 

Justin's tics have subsided, but they also return in spurts. He came home today from school full of what is now shoulder twitching and neck/jaw twitching. One thing I do not understand is how these keep changing location. I can definately say that I am happy that his head is not going back like it was, but it is strange how it keeps changing.

 

At first I thought that my son definately fit the stereotypic movement theory.

 

Stereotypic movement disorder is a condition in which a person engages in repetitive, often rhythmic, but purposeless movements. In some cases, the movements may result in self-injury. For this behavior to be considered a disorder, the repetitive movements must continue for at least 4 weeks, and they must interfere with the person's normal daily functioning. This disorder most often affects children with mental and developmental retardation.

 

The repetitive movements that are common with this disorder include:

 

Rocking

Banging the head

Self-biting

Nail biting

Self-hitting

Picking at the skin

Handshaking or waving

Mouthing of objects

grinding teeth

 

He grinds his teeth, bites his nails terribly, hits himself sometimes and now makes repetitive movements. But as I watch him, I think that these movements he makes are more like tics. I don't think that I have ever noticed him make repeated noises, but I don't know for sure. Do I have to wait more than a year for this to go on to see if someone thinks that it is more perminent or how would I tell the difference.

 

The EEG came out fine. Do tics usually show up in an EEG as abnormal? Does someone with TD show anything different on an EEG?

 

I have a lot of research to still do. Unfortunately, I don't know what kind of outlook on this that I should have.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks again for listening to me ramble.

 

Debbie

(Still confused)