New onset of hand flapping and activity

[RonnyL]

My son will be 5 in July and I have a concern about a new onset of what appears to be involuntary arm flapping along with simple vocal noises(e.g., ahhh), generally while running up and down the hall several times a day. I thought he was experiencing a potential tic disorder, but now I am concerned about some information on your site regarding PDD. My son did not listen well in his first pre-school and would not sit and generally was disruptive. I thought this may be due to his lack of socialization with other children because of our remote location.I took him out and put him in mommy and me classes because I thought he needed more experience with social interaction for maturity purposes (where I could keep an eye on him). He did pretty well with this, so a few months later he started in a new pre-school and although he had some trouble with following directions, completing tasks,and sitting still, he grew leaps and bounds and did well. I notice that he does not like to sit for very long, especially on projects requiring cutting, coloring or writing.
During his kindergarten registration process, he did not did not finish all of the tasks and they were concerned he may need speech therapy because he didn't repeat simple sentences back to them and didn't name all his colors or objects that were   shown to him. I observed that he put his head on the desk and wasn't actively listening.His preschool teacher thinks he's just young and will probably do fine in school next year. He speaks rapidly at times but uses full sentences, knows all of his colors, etc. He generally gets along well with others and shares at school. He is rambunctious and sometimes too active and inattentive, but he can focus with redirection.
I'm concerned with the new motor and vocal activity of his and have noticed in the last week that he focuses alot on the need to go to the bathroom.  
Any input would be appreciated.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The behaviors are possibly involuntary and invite evaluation by a pediatric neurologist. A condition along the PDD spectrum isn't indicated from the description you provide. It is also possible that he displays psychomotor restlessness and inattention typical of ADHD, but he is only five and it can be a little risky to conclude a diagnosis of ADHD at such a young age (unless the condition is severe). Development over time can make a big difference in the behavior of a child, who can look much different at age seven than at age five, for example.

[suelamp]

My daughter is a hand flapper. We have actually embraced this behavior in her because it seems to be such an honest expression of happiness and excitement. However, we have just recently learned that it can be a symptom of sensory processing problems -- at their worst, autism, but at their mildest a need for extra sensory motor stimulation (those in the know call it a self-stim behavior). Our daughter does have other, mild symptoms -- she has some trouble sitting for paper work in school and she is HIGHLY active, can't sit still at dinner, etc. If this is your child, don't let anyone try to call your child ADD! That's not what this is. I've just started reading a wonderful book called "The Out of Sync Child" by Carol Kranowitz, I suggest you look into it, or do some online research about sensory integration dysfunction. You might just find your child described. Good luck!

[JD76]

A related discussion, Hands Tightining was started.