Beep, Beep?

[JennyC]

My daughter has started beeping at me. Im not sure if its a vocal tic or she is just being weird and its a kid thing (she is almost 3) she goes "beep beep" in a certain way when she wants to tell me something or wants to show me something. She says beep beep in a different, louder, more singing way when she is excited....what do you all think? Is it worth mentioning to the doc (she only has a tic disorder as of yet, not dx of Tourette's)

[faith]

Hi Jenny,

That actually sounds a little cute. Maybe she has seen this on a cartoon and is immitating it?

 

Since your daughter is so young, its gonna be a little hard to decpher what just may be toddler behavior. You did say she is speaking in sentences already? I remember my son really did not speak words until after 2 1/2, but all he did was grunt when he wanted something, so before he spoke words, he would go "eh, eh, eh". It was not a tic, that was just how he communicated. ....I actually kind of miss it......

 

So she may be just getting a ittle lazy about verbalizing her wants? I suppose it wouldn't hurt to mention it to the doctor, perhaps they might direct you on how to go about getting early intervention for speech or whatever other issues she might have. We had this for our son at that age of course for the speech, and it is really wonderful, and it is of course a free service provided. I think it is a valuable tool to take advantage of. The even do the evaluation right in your own home through play therapy with the child. I loved having the speech therapist come for a special "play time" with my son, and it really helped him, he was speaking words in no time at all, and being able to communicate better sure cut down on his frustration and tantruming.

 

Some may criticize my next advice, but have you tried asking her to, well, stop it? I just say this to see if she, well can stop, for then you will have to decide if it is something more. In which case, then I would go back to the above reccomendation, again since she is so young. If she qualifies for whatever reason, it could really be a big jumpstart for her before she has to begin preschool.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Faith

[JennyC]

Yes she has been speaking in full sentences for a long time. I would actually say that her verbal skills are a little bit advanced but maybe you are right, maybe she is just getting lazy. Time will tell. Thanks for taking the time to answer!

[Chemar]

Hi Jenny

 

i have the cutest mental picture of your little one "beep beeping"

 

my son had similar vocal tics when he was younger, as well as other ritualized tics, which we were told were a combination of his TS tics and his OCD

 

He also went thru a phase of having to report everything he did or said to me, and it was always preceeded with a very specific throat clearing tic...kinda of like an announcement.

 

I would personally advise against asking her to stop it. IF it is a tic, that can escalate it, as she, even at this young age, tries to supress it, plus it would then become associated in her mind with something negative that displeases you, another thing to avoid if this is a tic. There is a lot of research and anecdotal evidence on tic supression and escalation of not only the tics, but of other issues like OCD, anxiety etc etc

[JennyC]

But how do you tell if its a tic or not? I have no experience with children other than my own.

[Chemar]

Hi Jenny

 

she is still so young that it would be very hard IMO to clearly say it IS a tic.

 

you could mention it to your doc, and also, if able, you could set up a cam corder to record her doing it without her being aware of it, and show that to the doc. only a professional observing could really be able to distinguish, and even then, in such a young child, it may be a difficult distinction to draw.

 

at age 3 many kids do make a range of sounds and as Faith mentioned, may copy things that they hear on TV etc...the beep beep reminds me of the Roadrunner cartoons

 

When my son was that young we simply didnt realise that many of the things we thought were "habits" or just kid stuff were in fact tics. So I am just giving our example, not saying your child IS ticcing

 

 

 

I would just keep a record if you are able and wait and see how long before it passes.

[JennyC]

Yeah it was a good 6 months before I realized that she had been having tics, it took obvious tics to make me look back and see that she had been having other tics for longer than we thought.

 

Good luck with our doc haha. I video taped her when she was having a bad bought of tics so I could show him (this was our first appt) She never did tic in his office and he didnt even care to see the video , just went on what he was asking and what I was answering, I actually had to make him watch the video. I had thought going in that a doctor would be very interested in actually seeing what was going on rather than just hearing about it.

 

I know, I know, I can hear you all yelling GET ANOTHER DOCTOR lol. With our insurance situation right now thats not possible. Now that it seems she had a seizure he seems to be taking us a little more seriously although I also think that is because I brought my husband with me to the next appt.

[faith]

Jenny,

Is this doctor just a regular pediatrician or a neurologist? If he is the neurologist, maybe a vist to just her regular doctor for another opinion? There must be some other doctors under your insurance you can see, I don't believe the first doctor has to know about it. I don't know, sometimes the right doctor can make all the difference.

 

Faith

[Caryn]

JennyC,

I did the exact same thing with our pediatrician-- I brought in my ds's b-day video for him to watch. He confirmed that they were tics and was concerned he was also having seizures, so he arranged for an EEG and a neuro appt. We did both and a CBC, all came back normal. When it came to actually helping us treat the condition he fell short. He admitted that he had never had a case of tics or tourette syndrome and was at a loss for what to do. He is a compassionate doctor, new in his practice, and truly wanted to see a resolution for us, but with two little kids at home himself and an office that is hopping with patients he quite honestly did not have the time to do the research on the condition, nor to work with us on alternative treatments until we found one that worked. He worked under another doctor (who was actually my pediatrician as a child) and that doctor refused to sign a script for the ALCAT test. I was devastated, because by that time we were really reaching for straws and on our own (okay, actually, with the help of the ACN) had already figured out how to cut the tics in half. It was then that I finally decided we needed to see a DAN doc. Most GPs and pediatricians (jump in anyone who has known different) are weary of prescribing or suggesting vits and mins that are beyond the RDA for the average person. Most just refer you to a specialist (neurologist) for medications. If I had my druthers, though-- I would say you may have better luck with a GP or a D.O. rather than a pediatrician. Anyone jump in who has a different opinion. We now have a GP and he is fantastic.

I know that you are stuck in a tough spot, but depending on where you live you may have options? You may find a DAN doc that will accept pay on a sliding scale or perhaps offers grants. We did not go that route but I know the option was available where we went because we were asked if we wanted to donate. Don't get stuck on the notion that a DAN doc is only for children suffering from autism. They are very well rounded, and the doc we saw dealt with so much more than that.

Just a few thoughts.

Caryn

[JennyC]

We see a neurologist her general practitioner is the one who referred us to him. We really dont have any other options. I can look into a DAN doctor with grants but we cant even afford a sliding scale. This sucks. Sorry if that offends anyone but it does.

[Chemar]

Jenny

 

do you have any D.O physicians on your insurance. They are fully qualified medically yet have a more holistic view of things and think outside the textbook

[airbucket]

Jenny:

 

I can completely sympathize with your sentiments! Its an unjust situation that doesnt get much attention. However, not having much means ourselves, I have learned from others that it is possible to implement something of the protocol on your own, with a doctor available to advise so that you proceed safely. However I dont think it takes money to really do this (of course I am not counting cost of vitamins/supplements/foods) We recently started it on a very low budget and its coming along. I am not recommending of course giving your child things without consulting a doctor, I am just saying that there is a way to do this safely under medical guidance while not spending the fees of a "DAN" doctor. there is just so much detailed information out there now! If you just even read among the posts throughout this forum you can piece together a plan. Having people to email to ask specific questions and get pointed in the right direction is also a good way to make progress. If there's anyway I can help pls let me know and good luck!

 

We see a neurologist her general practitioner is the one who referred us to him. We really dont have any other options. I can look into a DAN doctor with grants but we cant even afford a sliding scale. This sucks. Sorry if that offends anyone but it does.

[JennyC]

Ive never even heard of DO, what does that mean?

[Chemar]

hi Jenny

the D.O stands for Doctor of Osteopathic medicine as opposed to M.D being a Doctor of Allopathic Medicine

 

here is a bit more to explain

http://www.askdrwalker.com/index/What_is_a...steopathic_.htm

 

My son's current PCP is a D.O and he was on the insurance list, which I was soooo pleased to find

 

They have a whole different outlook from MDs and many are really on the ball with alternative stuff

[faith]

Jenny,

The DAN doctor we see is also an environmental allergist, so that is how I got in to see him covered under insurance, and the allergy testing and treatment were covered (we pay a copayment). So really this was blessing that he was an allergist and I originally made the appointment wanting to test for allergies, but I must say I did have a "secret agenda" for seeing him specifically, because he was also a DAN doc. That has worked to our advantage as I got to see him as a regulare allergy patient, but got the "extras" with it. Although I must point out that while the "visits" are covered and the blood tests we had done, I did have to pay for any vitamins we tried and right now we are using a b12 nasal spray (can also be shots) which is an out of pocket expense. .... May I ask what type insurance you have? Are you near any major cities?

 

Faith