21 Month Old with Motor Tic

Hi,
I don't have any advise to give you, but I just wanted to let you know that I understand how you feel. My daughter has recently developed a tic as well. She is having what her doctor called left side hemifacial spasms. It looks like she is grimacing on the left side of her face. Her eyes shuts and her cheek and mouth raise up. It can be so random too. One day I counted it happening in spurts of 10 to 15 in a row, to one or two over the course of hours. Very difficult. Her ped told us not to stare or mention it around her so she does not become self conscious because she may not be aware of it now, but if she becomes aware, it may cause her social issues. He said to try to decrease stress if there is any (we just moved and switched her daycare and her godfather is sick), so I'm trying to make sure it's always a light hearted atmosphere. He feels it will go away. I sure hope he's right. Hang in there.

My child does not have Touretts. She was diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum. It is sensory issues that cause a lot of these things. She would clack her teeth together. I simply would tell her that that wasn't good for her teeth. It took a while but she stopped. She then moved on to do a motion in the air with her hands. I simply ask her what she is doing because I want to do it with her - this makes her conscious of it and she stops.
We do home school because her major problem is with too many people in one place and she can't get the academics if she is overwhelmed with sensory issues around her.

All kiddos have issues of some sort. There is not what people call a "Normal Typical Child". Anyone who uses this term is in denial of their children.
I have four and each one has their own little "Quirk".
That is whats makes everyone unique and different.

We do not medicate for any reason, the medication is not made for children and while it may help at the moment they don't know the long term damage to the growing brain of the child.

We could medicate her for stress and send her to a room full of 25 squealing kids but what would that really do for her. We put her in situations that help de-sensitize her but in moderation not all at once.

Good Luck

My younger brother started having tics when he was about 3 (probably sooner but no one noticed). We have no family history of Touretts, but he was diagnosed with this anyway. His tics worsened as he got older- from motor tics, to angery/rage outbursts and the tics got more severe as he approached puberty.(Stress can make them worse)

That being said, he only had a few kids tease him in school (what kid doesn't), and he learned to control them the best he could. Now as an adult- he doesn't have tics at all unless he is under major-major stress!

So there is hope. I dont think they can rule out OCD or Touretts until your daughter is older.

Hi,

I have a nine year old son with tics along with autism and adhd. His tics started when he was five. He first had vocal tics and then it became motor tics. First the blinking and then the shoulder but that's pretty much it. His tics were more prevelent in the begining but it can also go dorment for months and months then out of the blue, it would start up but it only last for a few days. Sometimes it will come out when he gets stressed. As time went on, he was able to control it in school and would let it out when he got home. Most people with tics or tourettes are able to hold it in while in public. I took my son to a Neurologist but I was told too that there really isn't anything that can be done but I do recommend that you see one. It's always better to get a second opinion from a specialist. I know that some kids are put on Clonodine but your daughter is too young for that. My son was already on Strattera and Clonodine for his adhd but we took him off of his meds in the summer and he is dong well. About them growing out of it after puberty. I'm hoping it will but not all kids do. I guess it depends on how bad the tics are. It breaks my heart too when he gets it. I understand. We can only hope and pray that it will go away. I hope I answered some of your questions. Good luck. Please contact me if you have questions.

I have a wonderful 11 year old student who has lots of tics. As far as the social aspect goes, he is in 6th grade and nobody has ever teased him about it. Actually he is quite popular in his class!
I hope you find a school that will bring out the best in her. Good luck!

Take her to a neuroligist.. They might be able to help you more.

Hi RW, when my cousin was a kid he had a tic. He would wrinkle up his nose like a bunny rabbit. His tic lasted about a year and when it went away I never noticed him having any others. He does have a couple of other OCD tendancies such as excessive hand washing but he is a great guy with no trouble making friends and never had problems with people making fun of him.

One other thought... my sister has always blinked obsessively due to extremely dry eyes. Have you had her seen by an eye doctor to see if maybe she has dry eyes or blurry vision?

My daughter started her motor tic when she was about 3. I referred to it as excessive blinking, the thing is her birthfather did it to but that was it and it was mostly a stress thing. At that time him and I had split and I got married to someone else when she was 4. It wasn't really a noticable thing to others until she turned 6 (started school). It became more obsessive, after a few months she started stuttering as well. That's when we called the pedi neurologist and got her in. My side of the family including myself have several with OCD as well as ADHD. Nobody in either family has TS though. They classified her as a mild case and started her on clonidine. Soon after, the blinking wasn't so bad and then it turned into shoulder shrugging. We increased her meds. It's very strange how it can go from one tic to another just like that. I don't agree with getting on to them or trying to make them stop, especially in a disciplinary manner. It's like telling someone with hiccups they better stop right now, not to mention what it can do to them emotionally. However we would get her in a quiet spot or just get her attention and try to get her to calm down/relax. Kids at school would occasionally ask why she did her tics, she would say she doesn't know most the time. I was also very scared she would get made fun of. Never once did a kid say anything mean to her though. Kids are MUCH more understanding then us adults. Her school said if anything did come up we were more then welcome to come up there and talk to the class about it but it never became neccessary. Around this time all I could think of was the shows on TS where these kids have horrible motor and vocal tics and can't even lead a normal lifestyle..it was a very stressful time for us all and her case wasn't even that bad. She took the meds for just over a year. And just after turning 7 everything just stopped..it was like she woke up and it was gone! Every now and then I will see her doing the blinking but I attribute that to her BF and I know it's more a stress thing then anything. She turned 9 in April and has been off meds since end of the school year when she was 7.
I don't know what I would have done without her Dr. They are absolutely wonderful!! We use Texas Child Neurology and see Dr Chudnow but there are 3 other Dr's in the practice as well. They have an office in Grapevineby Baylor, which is where we went but they are based out of Plano. The # is ###-###-#### and website is www.texaschildneurology.com
I also recommend joining a support group, I know there are a few on Yahoo groups. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions or anything at all : )

Hi, I would stay on top of this and go to a neurologist and dont just rely on the peditricians advise (as good as it may be)

It could be caused by some sort of tiny seisures (sp) but for sure get a second oppinion so you dont miss something else that you may not see.

Good luck :o)
A. J

like most people said, if it's minor, it is nothing to worry about, but if and when she gets older and the tic is bothering her, there are now lots of safe medications that can be prescribed to even young kids for tics or tourettes or even OCD...you can go to either a pediatric neurologist or a child psychiatrist...both have experience with tics...but sometimes a child psychiatrist is more aware of the social aspects....

You might want to look into alternative methods of resolving it. I don't know anything about motor tics, but I have a good chiropractic neurologist and he's GREAT with kids.
Peter Jaillet ###-###-####. It takes AWHILE to get a first appointment with him, but it's worth the wait!

My brother-in-law blinks constantly! Like once a second. My husband says that he's always remembered his brother doing this since he was a kid.
I don't know that he has any other tics, none that I've noticed anyway. My husb and my mom-in-law both have OCD issues but not my BIL as far as I know.

Google PANDAS and get a blood test for ASO and DNASE. Chronic strep can cause this.

I am sorry to hear about your sweet little girl. We have some friend's whose daughter struggles with something similar. For a while they thought she might be mildly autistic but she had no other symptoms. They are finding out that it is due to yeast and food allergies. I know it sounds crazy but it is helping a lot and giving this family hope. Also, have you tried homeopathy or acupuncture?! Couldn't hurt to try!

i think you should definately get her into a neuro. we go to dr acosta downtown at cooks. the wait list is long for new patients so call right away, they have several dr.s but the wait list is long for all.

my nephew had a slight tick, his was a vocal one, but he had other tics as a baby. he is on a low dose of meds, & his is under control. they can develop new tics in place of old ones, but they will not necessarily outgrow them after puberty either.

we see dr acosta for seizures but he is wonderful. as are all the neuros down there, that i have had experience with. you need someone who specializes in this not just a reg. dr.

I have a son 20 who has and still has tics. I also have an 8 year old with them. We of course has talked with their pediatrician many many times. Blinking, shoulder shrugging, tightening their arm, holding their stomach and rolling their stomach.... My older son has a good friend his lifetime with turrets (he is controlled with medication but still has mild tics) and he will only have to be around his friend and could start copying him. Alot of times when it is exam time or stress he might start them. He has never been on medication (20 year old) we are able to catch him early and remind him to stop (a long process sometimes) he usually will get it under control, now his 8 year old brother has started them. He was nervous school was starting he started rolling his stomach and made it so sore he would hold him stomach when walking. My older sons did not stop at puberty but he is able to reason with himself and control them. So far we have been able to talk to our 8 year old and he is learning how to be aware of doing these and stop. We have not had to do medications. They only occur 3-4 times a year for us. I understand your little one is very young, but you might gently remind her to not blink or whatever she is doing and see if that helps. My guys never had them at that young of age. Good luck, it is hard to watch them have tics.

my son had a tic when he was about 3 yr. old. he would touch his face. it was almost constantly when he was still. I noticed it the most at night while I was reading to him. We took him to see a neurologist and he told us some kids experience this and to not make a big deal about it. by the time of his appt. he had actually quit doing it, but the neuro said if he did another tic, to try and just ignore it. he said many kids will outgrow it. I know this sounds odd, but the past few days he has started to belch frequently and he says he has to do it. I haven't made an issue of it and we'll see if he stops. I think some kids just have some sensory issues. I remember as a kid I used to rub my palms on edges of tables, beds etc, and I stopped and am pretty normal. LOL. Good luck. Hope it helps to know your not alone.

Hi, I have a 10 yr old that has previously had ticks, he started with his neck and then started with his shoulder and arm. I am quessing it started when he was around 5 yrs old. Honestly he has had no problems in school, it never really drew any attention towards him and he really did notice that he was doing it. It only lasted for a couple of years and now he has no ticks at all. Just hang in there and she will grow out of it.
I went to as even taking him to a neurologist, he encouraged me that it was nothing to worry about. Hope this helps.
L.

I have 3 boys and the all have letters as we call them oldest has OCD and the middle is ADHD with OCD traits! See all the letters! My oldest has had different times when he has had tics. We see a great neurologist in Plano/ Grapevine Dr. So he is great and might have some answers for you.
We do have our boys on meds because of the oldest tic and then I realized how much better life was with them on meds!

Good luck!

My mom's friend had a daughter I hung with when I was very young. She blinked constantly and she would squeeze her eyes to when she did it. Her mom was beside herself with worry and the more you talked about it the more she blinked. She's a grown woman now; wife of a dentist - - she outgrew her blinking and having to have a piece of satin material to rub together when she went to bed at night and sucked her thumb. She outgrew all her childhoood conditions, and did fine. I think she was okay by the time she started school. Occupying her mind with something else might help. Then again, she might do this forever, my sister is grown and still twigs her hair constantly.

My daughter did that too & so did her daughter, not saying your Doctor is wrong but their tic were due to allergies. I wish I had known when my daughter was younger that allergy Med. would take care of it. You might try it.
Claritin cleared up my grandaughters problem. Just a thought.
I pray that you little one is healed from whatever the cause soon.
God Bless