My 3 year old was just dx with dic disorder....

[Guest lovemommyof2]

We noticed our daughter was "twitching" a lot a few months ago and at her 3 year check up asked the doctor. She said I was no big deal it would probably go away. My husband had me call her old neurosurgeon to make sure there was no correlation between her surgery and motor tics (she had cranial surgery as a baby). They said there was not but that we needed to be seen by a neurologist as early intervention is everything, if there is an issue!

 

To give a little info on her tic-ing, she tics whenever she is excited. She flaps her arms and her mouth locks open and she starts jumping. This happens almost all day long.

 

Today was our appointment and I LOVED the Neurologist (Dr. Ronald Davis). He said that her tic-ing was on the moderate scale. He ordered blood work TSH, ASO & the strep B. He also ordered an eeg. I was so upset today because when we went for her blood work at Lab Corp they stuck her 7 times!!! I finally told them no more! We are going to try again somewhere else tomorrow.

 

My question is: are there many 3 year olds with tics??? Does developing tics this early mean that she is worse shape than a child that develops them at 6 or 7? Has anyone tried a behaiviorlist?

 

Any help or guidance will be GREATLY appreciated!!

[faith]

Hello lovemommy and welcome,

I think many of us here have noted tics as early as three in our kids. I think my son was 3 1/2 the first time I saw him make a facial grimace, but I think my mother used to ask me why he rubbed his eye sometime before that.

 

That is a good question you posed. But I think it does not really matter when it starts, for it doesn't mean it always gets worse. My son is now almost 9 and while, yes, he did have some more and different tics since then, it is not off the wall worse. But it certainly does feel that way as they get older, simply because it is just more noticeable the older they get, or rather we are afraid it will be noticed by others, especially their peers.

 

May I ask what the cranial surgery was for? Also when you noticed her twitchy after that three year appointment, were there any vaccines given that day?

 

The flapping you mention actually sounds more like "stimming" rather than a tic, (stimming is described as a repetitive self-stimulating behavior which is usually in resonse to excitement.) Does she have fluent speech and learning appropriate to her age? Does she have any other tics, such as blinking?

 

Also, please let us know what the blood tests show when you get the results.

 

Faith

[lurker]

Lovemommy,

 

My friend's daughter did that. It was the exact same pattern you describe. She has done it since she was a baby. At around five, she was diagnosed with a "stereotypie." I think that is the same as the "stimming" Faith mentioned. The doc said that many autistic kids do it, but some regular (for lack of a better word) kids do it too.

 

She's nine now, and only does it briefly when very excited. She is able to catch herself and stop.

 

If you are asking about a behaviorist for this particular behavior, I think she is way too young to be able to control it. My friend started gently prompting her daughter to "settle down" when she was eight. She is just now gaining some awareness and control. If there are other behaviors that concern you, I would request a developmental evaluation since she is only three.

 

 

Tami