8 year old boy with transient tics

[Claire]

Daniel, thanks for the education.

 

Kilam,

 

Please remember if you do no TV, to also do no computer/gameboy/movies, because it is the screen flicker/graphic movement that is the potential trigger. Otherwise, the 'test' doesn't work and you are just depriving your kid of TV for a week. School vacations can be good for this, because they so often have computers with CRTs in the classroom, and some sit on all day. The challenge is to do this without your son feeling he is being punished for ticcing. It is just a diagnostic tool...for us it showed that it was something that could be managed.

 

If you search Latititudes for 'photosensitivity', I have posted a ton of info on it. For some reason it often starts around 7 or 8...it develops gradually, so sometimes it is tough to pin down...the week removal does seem to really be a clear indicator. My son was just turning 8 when he started.

 

Anyway, if it turns out that your child has this as a primary trigger, then I would suggest that you read my threads on what testing and treatment course we did. My son was extremely sensitive and I found a DAN doctor to help test for issues and rebalance his immune system so that the sensitivity was gone.

 

Please see my comments on the thread on some photosensitivity causes, such as elevated mercury levels:

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=2066

 

Also, how to minimize the impact of TV, ie viewing from across a well-lit room and a Small (15"!!) screen to minimize the visual impact, and not too many cartoon shows or flashing computer games. I just got my son lots of Harry Potter book tapes and that replaced his TV/computer until we figured out alternative solutions.

 

Maybe screens are a big trigger helps, maybe not, but if they are, it is not that your child can never watch TV/play computer again. I personally think this finding was a blessing for us as it helped us to focus our natural treatment plan and accommodations.

 

As I have posted on other threads, my son has had ZERO tics in over 3 years now, and he is back to going to big screen movies, watching TV and playing on the computer (LCD screens) without limitation other than what is healthy for a middle school kids vs school work and active play. We still do supplements daily and avoid certain foods. Everyone is different, so the solutions and results will differ, but I do think that many photosensitive kids have some commonality in treatment.

 

Claire

[lmcgill]

Wow, after three days of no TV, and I put him on Source Naturals "Attentive Child" his tics are almost non-existent. I am not sure if it is maybe just the transient part of the tics that is passed or the trigger of the TV. Regardless, I just saw a few abdominal movements tonight at that was it.

I would be interested to know what type of supplements your child is on?

[Claire]

Lmcgill,

 

That is terrific news! )))))))))))))

 

After over 3 years of being on this board, I can tell you that 3 days of vitamins has never achieved that kind of result. It takes the body a while to replace its deficiencies. If you doubt this and want to be sure, you can stop the vitamins for the rest of the test week. I encourage people not to do multiple things on screen removal week because that way they know for sure, as this is an important piece of information.

 

On the other hand, screen removal can make this dramatic of a difference, and many people have posted on it. For some it takes up to a week, but for others it is sooner. I hope that you read the thread on this to see for yourself...of course mine is a summary thread and they gave more detail in their original posts.

 

You still need to go the whole week (please!). It keeps you (and your child) from wondering if it was just a fluke that day or two. I mean it when I say that for my son his tics disappeared COMPLETELY with no TV, and if this is the case, it likely an indicator that this isn't genetic TS (which my son did not have). This won't be true of everyone, but for some the significance is major. I would see it as good news in that you can come up with a great healing path for your son.

 

My son's vitamins were customized for his particular deficiencies...I do not believe it was a magic formulation.

 

At the end of the week, we can discuss more. I can suggest tests you can run (no doctor's signature needed), though of course, I recommend even vitamin treatment be monitored/okay'd by a doctor. We didn't do megadosing in my opinion.

 

If this keeps up, you will indeed have a Merry Christmas, yes? I just remember the great relief I felt in knowing I could help my child.

 

Claire

[Chemar]

Lmcgill,

 

....I can tell you that 3 days of vitamins has never achieved that kind of result.

Claire

 

agreed that it is grrrreat news about the "no screens" having such a dramatic effect Lenny! but do just want to point out that we did notice an OVERNIGHT improvement for my son, especially with his OCD and severe tics, when we began supplements and within 3 days the improvement was certainly dramatic and by the end of the first week, miraculous!

 

I know this isnt necessarily going to be the same response for everyone, and it is likely that my son's dramatic improvement may also have been due to depletion caused by those meds he had been on for a year before

 

I think the essence here is that it is doing what is MOST NEEDED for the individual that makes the most impact and has the most dramatic effect...eg for PANDAS kids it is the right antibiotic, for photosensitive kids it is the elimination of flicker from CRT screens and for vitamin/mineral/amino acid deficient kids it is supplying those supplements

[lmcgill]

We have actually had him on Mag and Calcium for several weeks, and it seems to have had not as dramatic of an effect, but still has helped. Last night we noticed he had a few minor tics again, but nothing severe. As most have said, it is a journey, and we are in it for the longhaul.

[Chemar]

Lenny

 

re supplements.....I do always try to stress that it is a combination of needed supplements that make the biggest differences, rather than just any one or two specific supps

 

for my son, we know that for tic reduction it is the combination of the calcium/magnesium/zinc PLUS taurine and flaxseed oil that work best..........and we have also learned that he responds better to certain forms of these supps than to others. And, unlike many people, he cant go near B complex, but gets his RDA of B's via his multi along with some added extra separately because of his specific needs (B1,B5 & B6)

 

So glad you recognise that you are on a learning curve and that every bit of trial and error is not a set back but a stepping stone into unravelling your child's specific issues and what will best help him

 

If Claire had not persisted with her investigation into photosensitive triggered tics, so many people would still have been unaware of this phenomenon. I remember when she first spoke of it on another board and was blasted for even suggesting it ........but she persevered and look at the benefits that have been reaped, not only for her own child, but for so many others

 

that is IMHO what makes this board so very special, because we have people with such a vast range of different experiences who have shared and so give insight for others to investigate and find solutions.

 

[Claire]

lmcgill,

 

Is this day 6? Interesting that you saw a flutter of minor tics...do be aware of flourescent lighting has flicker and can be a trigger for sensitive kids. But the week isn't over yet and this sounds soooo promising. I think it is highly unlikely that this is random improvement, but of course, you will have plenty of opportunity over the coming months to be sure.

 

If you still see continuing improvement through tomorrow, my rule of thumb is to continue no screens if possible, until things have stabilized and you no longer see improvement. Then you will have your child's 'baseline' level without the exposure. I think 10 days would likely be plenty, and hopefully won't be needed...I am not sure if it would feel punitive on Christmas Day for example. I really LOVED Harry Potter booktapes during this time, as my son loved them and didn't feel deprived.

 

IF you find that the improvement is substantial at the end of your trial, the tricky part is reintroduction to test it. For some it happens immediately...in those cases it is obviously the cause. For others, it is once again cumulative, where gradually the tics start reocurring. I know that we tested this several times to be sure it was the cause.

 

If you don't like the idea of potential re-occurance, I think you can get 15" LCD monitors dirt cheap. I scanned Bestbuy.com and found one on sale for $169. It sounds like you have a flat panel that may not flicker, but a much larger screen? I would try 30

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1142294019034

 

Again, well-lit room, view from way across the room. I would do 30 minutes a day. This is how we all watch TV at our house and we are so very used to it this way. Households didn't used to have huge screens and TV was still enjoyable. I do know that graphic cartoon shows like Pokemon are KNOWN triggers...they set seizures off in photosensitive kids with epilipsy (different from tics, but still it is the same trigger).

 

As I have said, it is tricky to do do things at once (e.g. the new vitamins), but the most important thing is that your child is better, so having that diagnostic issue to resolve would be the least of your worries. Over the long term, the right vitamin protocol is absolutely a key part of the healing. I just wouldn't want you to assume this is necessarily the right vitamin protocol due to doing both at once. This is where I like the formal testing to customize a vitamin protocol when possible. In the same way, I wouldn't want you to falsely ID TV/photosensitivity as a trigger.

 

I will say a prayer for you that the good results continue!! As for the rest, I have full confidence that you will figure it out. I don't mean to get ahead of myself here, since your test isn't over, but it is unclear how much I will be on over the holidays. But please do keep me/us posted!

 

I have the feeling, this will be a very Merry Christmas for you personally, as you willl have hope that you have a great start on a good path for your child!!

 

Claire

[Claire]

lcmgill,

 

I think this is day 11. How is it going? How did your experiment end and do you have next steps in mind for your child?

 

Claire

[lmcgill]

It is going very well, we let him watch short amounts of TV and he is doing very well, will update in more detail a little later.

Lenny

I think this is day 11. How is it going? How did your experiment end and do you have next steps in mind for your child?

 

Claire

[lmcgill]

We have seen no tics at all for about two days now. He is playing a little Nintendo WII that he got for Christmas, but he seems to know that TV is a trigger and just pulls himself away if he feels tics. I wish I knew what is happening to him. He seems so good now and I am nervously waiting for the next tic to start. I am not trying to be a pessimist, but it seems in this situation I am.

Now I am concerned the Mag Oxide we are giving him could be bad for him? It is a combination Mag and Calc designed for children, should we try a different type if he is doing good on it now?

Lenny

[Claire]

Hi Lenny,

 

This is such wonderful news, I am so happy for you! Please watch carefully, as the effect of screens can cumulative over time, so a couple of things can happen. 1) Either he is fine with the amounts and and self moderate (wouldn't that be awesome), or 2) gradually over time, the tics start to return because of the cumulative effect. This isn't a problem unless you then no longer associate it with the screen trigger...if there is doubt you can always do a no screens test again and find out for sure.

 

But the fact that he has been doing so well this long is great!

 

I don't know about mag oxide, never heard it is bad and I know we have used it without problems. But if someone here has research, they can share.

 

I still want to point out that my son's screen sensitivity got worse over time (we avoided them for 2 years!), and as they get older, it is harder to limit it (school and peer pressure), so I would suggest doing some of the tests that I posted in the photosensitivity thread, for vitamin/antioxidant deficiencies and toxic metals. Correcting these allowed my son to no longer have the issue. It was my DAN doctor's view, and mine also, that the earlier you correct the immune issues, the better chance of fully normal functioning later. This is true for autism, so he extrapolated this to tics, since the immune issues can be similar, just different neurological impact.

 

Claire

[lmcgill]

Just an update, our son is almost two months now tic free. Every day I pray they dont come back. Still have him on the Natural Calm and Attentive Child supps. Should I expect to see the tics back?? Tough question, but if they do I was wandering if the supps were actually working

Lenny

[Chemar]

hi Lenny

 

glad to hear you are seeing a respite from the tics

 

honestly, it depends on what the root cause of the tics were, as to whether you can confidently feel they are over

 

If Tourette Syndrome, then yes, the supplements can and do seem to promote less frequency, duration and intensity of tic waxing periods....but people with TS tic, and the tics wax and wane. Sometimes the tics go into remission (usually when the hormonal teen years are past)...a two month period with no tics would seem to indicate to me that your child does not have TS

 

If your son's tics were induced by some other factor, whether dietary, environmental or illness...then there is a very good possibility that, provided you keep his system at this optimum with supplements and whatever trigger avoidances you are doing, you will hopefully have seen the end of his tics.

 

I would be remiss if I did not point out that yes, even in transient tic disorders, tics can sometimes resurface and no, that doesnt mean the supplements are not working....it usually means that there is some new trigger or underlying issue that needs to be addressed ......so dont be alramed if you do see a tic re-emerge..........most often this is due to a slip up in diet or stopping the supps that have been working or, most frequently, an illness or stressful occurrance or some new environmental trigger (eg chemical exposure, new paint, new carpets, new car etc etc etc)

 

nevertheless, having said all that, when you see a period like you have with no tics....you have every reason to be very hopeful that they will not return. Just keep on doing the good stuff you are

[lmcgill]

Thanks for that positive and heartfelt reply. We are taking him to an alergist this Wednesday and hope to find out more on as it may pertain to his tics. We did notice a few very minor tics today, but he did have gluten patties yesterday, and we have long felt this may be a trigger. My Mother has Celiac, and she has often wandered if he has any of the same unfortunate genes she does. It is often said on this forum that it is a journey, and that rings so true for us and our son.

Lenny

[Chemar]

Lenny

I would like to recommend a very good forum that specifically deals with Celiac and gluten sensitivity....

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13