Motor Tics Brought on by Stress

You definitely have my sympathy...One of my twins (age six) went through a terrible time in Kindergarten last year and did develop a nervous tic with his eye (just the right) whenever he had to be around his "great" teacher...It wasn't such a great situation for him. I had a terrible time asking the teacher to spend a bit of extra time making him feel more comfortable and was told it was HIS problem and not hers.
My solution was to pull both of my sons from first grade in the district this year and give them some time with me. It's a lot of work but amazingly my six year old does not have a nervous tic - and they are both loving the attention. They WILL have to go to school next year - but as a parent I feel they both need to realize that learning is fun - not something to be afraid of when they are so young.
I am not even sure if homeschooling is an option for you - but there are also online activities that may make him feel a bit more comfortable with the material in class if that is what is making him anxious. The social aspect can be tackled with extracurricular activities (I have my two in gymnastics classes, also).
Hope this helps a bit -
A.

K., I so understand what you two are experiencing. Just know that you never have to settle for what one evaluation says. You need to be getting another assessment and looking into some assistance in this. A great website for families is one for autism (not even saying your child has this). The information on testing, assessments, what you are entitled to, is all in one place. Go check it out www.tacanow.org

Removing all dyes and preservatives from your son's diet is important. You'll want to look into adding some supplements especially Cod Liver Oil/omega 3's for the vision /eye support.

Also, think twice before doing any vaccines, especially at this point any of the flu vaccines. Aluminum and mercury (yes everyone it is still in shots, especially flu ones) are neurotoxins and can affect the gut as well as the brain. Know you are not alone and sending a hug your way.

Sorry I didn't read all the responses, so sorry if this is a repeat.

But, I think you already have the answer... when your son is STRESSED, he gets tics.
***THUS, help him deal with stress.***

Having issues with "stress" does NOT mean a child is developmentally "off." Adults get this way too, right? The tics, is just an outward manifestation of the person trying to "cope"... albeit in not a practical way.

Some children are just more sensitive or they have a hard time "transitioning" to something 'new'/different... it does not necessarily mean he is developmental a problem or has a problem.

For example: my sister. EVERY SINGLE YEAR since she began school, like your son, she had MAJOR hardship adjusting to the "new" grade/class/teacher/everything. Even in college, years later. She'd balk/throw fits/tantrum/have actual emotional crying. Years later, she said it was because she hated anything "new" and she just was very painfully shy... and she was the kind of person that only did well with the same ol' thing day after day... to have any kind of 'change' in her life, was something PAINFULLY difficult for her, and once she got 'attached' to something/someone/a routine... that was it. She didn't want anything different nor could she cope with it. It was either a problem of adapting or transitioning.

Well, just some thoughts.
Does your son ever SAY "WHY" he hates going to school each year? And why it is so hard for him? Does he get teased? Harassed? Does he have friends? Is he social or shy? Is he on par academically?

I don't have any answers, but when I read this, it brought back memories of how my sister was. Note: I said "was."

All the best,
Susan

I love being a mom and having a child that is struggling is such a challenge for the whole family. all you want to do is make life easier so they can be happy and -be a kid. i totally know what it is like to see your usually happy child just melt down and being powerless to help. school has done this to us every year, from not having friends to attention problems or just general anxiety. It seems the children who are border line are the ones who are overlooked because they seem very "normal" to the outside onlooker. as mothers we know when something is off.

My children have some struggles as well and i am actually going to try and sponsor a brain specialist to come speak in November. she is wonderful and doesn't use any labels. she feels every child is just wired differently, their brain is individual and where they are lacking can be healed. She will be offering evaluations for children while she is here and showing you how to do their therapy instead of paying some one else. her approach is you are the most invested person in your child's life and once you are educated on what they need you are the most qualified person to do it. I love this idea!!

I agree with the diet and vaccination advice as well. the piece of the puzzle our family has been missing is the brain development part. i feel this is our answer, this program was recommended to me by 4 nurses and a special edd teacher all who are mothers and all friends of mine. they have seen huge improvements with their children who have just had "challenges" in school from not understanding math to autism.

http://www.parentswithpurpose.com/index.htm

this is her webb site if you are interested in learning more about her approach and please contact me if you are interested in actually attending the seminar on November 7th. I have shared some of this same info in a previous post about ADD as well.

big hugs to your little guy, growing up is hard. your a great mom to be so compassionate with your sons struggles.

Hello, First of all, your children are very lucky to have such caring parents. Could the vision and developmental delays be connected to the stress? He could feel frustrated about not seeing clearly and maybe he feels as though he can't keep up with the other children. When the teacher gives her oral lessons and when he tries to do the written work, it may all look like Chinese to him. What I mean by that is that he really may not understand everything being put in front of him. You can ask that the school do an IEP on him. This might help to identify what is causing the frustration. Once it is identified, and a plan to help him is in play, you should see him calm. It is important to make him aware of what is going on to help him so that he knows you are all trying.
Good luck with your precious family.
K. K.

Hi K.,
You might want to call Sarah Blitzstein at HaMercaz, Jewish Family Service's one-stop resource for families who have children with special needs. HaMercaz provides support, referrals and excellent programming for the whole family, and is open to all, regardless of race or religion. If you're interested, let me know and I'd be happy to e-mail you their contact information.
Best,
D.

D. Markovic
JKidLA/Concierge Services
###-###-####
____@____.com
http://www.jkidla.com

You don't say what led to the evaluation at age 4 but sounds like symptoms were milder then and have gotten stronger. I would get a copy of the old evaluation report and make an appt with a neurologist or psychoneurologist sooner than later. Good luck!

K., It does sound like your sweet son might indeed qualify for some type of assistance - possibly. Even though he was evaluated at 4, he is older now and should be able to cope with these kind of changes typically. I have a son who showed little to no signs of his diagnosis until he went to kindergarden. I am not saying that he DOES have a diagnosis, but there might be some subtle things he is dealing with that, if you knew what they were/are, could be helped with some simple steps. Try to persue private diagnosis from a trained therapist who works with children if possible. Good luck to you!