Tic or Bad Behavior

[patty]

Hi all,

 

Pls help - your advise is appreciated.

 

My son has been having some behaviors that i can't distinguish if it is a tic or just behavior. My son is 6 and a half. For ex., my son would look as if he is jumping rope while he is eating at the park. While we are out, he would start doing the jump rope motion and running, but no rope. (he loves jump roping. We have one at home, he does it all day long) At home, while we are eating, he is always kicking the table and made a lot of noise. Also, every now & then, I notice he would while he is running around the house (he used to love to spin minutes at a time).

 

I didn't think much of it initially, until one day i addressed some of these behavior. That's when he told me," I can't help it. And i have to do it."

 

I am not sure if my son is using that line on me because he knows if it is a tic, it is OK to tic.

 

It is such a fine line. I am not sure what to do?! I don't want my son to take advantage of me. Does what i describe above seem like motor tics?

 

patty

[Chemar]

Hi Patty

 

my son had similar behaviours before I knew he had TS, and I used to keep telling him to stop.

 

I felt just awful once the doc explained to me that these were indeed related to his TS and OCD

 

perhaps your son is experiencing similar

[Cum Passus]

Patty,

 

I know how you feel, my son walks around yelling " FOOL " and when you try to talk to him he says "SO WHAT" all the time. Right now we are working on changing "FOOL" into"COOL" it has worked sometimes.

 

It is hard he is 13 and sometimes I do think he is saying it to be a smarty pants.

 

C.P.

[Guest]

Hi Patty,

 

That sounds tic/ocd related to me.

 

I don't know about others, but I can only remember one time when I specifically used the excuse of tics as a way of getting out of punishment. I got upset and cursed at one of my parents. I told them that I couldn't help it. Cursing was always a huge no-no in my house, and this was probably the first time I had ever used this type of language. My parents did allow it to slide, but I didn't ever use the excuse again.

 

I also can't fake tic like behaviors. Even to this day if I try to show/explain a tic to someone that I don't currently have, I can't demonstrate that tic to look like it does if it's a real tic.

 

Carolyn

[quan_daniel]

Petty,

Just want you to know...there are children who have no tics/ts also have the same behavior.

I regard tics as a repetitive movement that your child does..like blinking..or head jerking..

 

The action he is doing seems very precise and cooridinated.

 

Currently and knock on wood..my child has no tics but he too cannot sit still while eating...

 

Honestly, he is a boy...I am sure some boy is calmer than other..

 

I would not worry about them so much..

 

remember..if it does not hurt him..try let him have some fun..

 

Happy Holidays..

[Claire]

Patty,

 

This discussion came up a couple of years ago.

 

What your son is doing could also be 'stimming' (as well as tics/OCD). Spinning and hand flapping for example are classic stimming behaviors. They can be associated with the ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Remember, that is a broad spectrum that many feel include ADD/ADHD for example, it doesn't mean he has 'autism'.

 

In any case, even if it is stimming, it is still a neurological issue, and the underlying immune issues tend to be similar. The point is really that it isn't likely to be simply 'behavior' that he 'should' control.

 

Claire

[patty]

Thank you all for replying. I am still a little confused! Can someone clarify please!

 

What is stimming? Is stimming an OCD behavior? And how is the jump roping motion and the kicking related to OCD and not a tic?

 

Let's assume my son's behavior is related to TS/OCD, I guess l should let him be. However, he has a younger sister and she is copying him. I considered telling her her brother cannot help his behavior, however, i don't know for sure and that might further encourage his behavior and use " i can't help it as an excuse".

 

I do notice, once my son is interested in something. He is stuck on it. For example, he loves hand clapping games. He learned all the rhymes at school and would say the rhymes often, even he is not playing it. Sometimes, he would say it and do the hand clapping himself. I thought it was cute initially. Now that I am starting to think it is OCD related everytime my son does those behavior is making me a bit tense.

 

Since Tics/OCD is all related, i guess continue our alternative treatments would help? or do i need to add something else to it?

 

This is like peeling the onion. I got thru the top layers and there are more to go. I would like to get a better understanding on all of this. That would certainly help ease some of my anxiety and better understand my son's behaviors.

 

Patty

[quan_daniel]

Patty,

My nephew is autism but very mild.

He likes to jump on a trampeline. It is self stimulation or stimming.

 

http://web1.greatbasin.net/~sprang/stimming.htm

 

"Researchers have suggested various reasons for why a person may engage in stereotypic behaviors. One set of theories suggests that these behaviors provide the person with sensory stimulation (i.e., the person's sense is hyposensitive). Due to some dysfunctional system in the brain or periphery, the body craves stimulation; and thus, the person engages in these behaviors to excite or arouse the nervous system. One specific theory states that these behaviors release beta-endorphins in the body (endogeneous opiate-like substances) and provides the person with some form of internal pleasure."

 

I also have a younger daughter who is 4 1/2 and surely tiny fragment of my son's tic is rubbing off on her.

I asked her once but she just looked at me strangely and since then I let her be.

 

Yes kids copy..as surely my daughter does. I have to set my alarm to a lower decibal so I can ignore it.

I am sure as a child I do odd things too. Someone on this board once said...

 

They remain so young for such a short period of time ...enjoy them while you can and do not worry so much

about their odd behavior.

 

It is hard...but slowly I have to learn to let go..

 

So will you..to enjoy life a little more..

 

We often time like to label every problem we see like ADD/OCD..

It is good to find a cause of problem..and try to resolve them..but we are only human..

so much we can accomplish in one day before we are stressed out and have no time for the rest of the

family..

 

 

Cheers