Ticks

[Lettie]

My daughter has developed a consistent habit of opening her mouth very wide,touching the corner with her finger and then going about her conversation or activity as though nothing out of the ordinary has been done. She does this as often as 4 times a minute or once a minute. I also have watched her do it in her sleep with out touching the corner of her mouth. Just opening her mouth, not very wide but you can tell the habit is there. This takes place soon after she falls asleep but then stops after a few minutes.I have spoken to her about it,and asked if something hurts or tickles and she responed that she just can't help it. We don't bring up the issue anymore because we are concerned  that we will hurt her feelings if it is something she has no control over such as a tick or other problem. We are not sure how to deal with this. Your comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!

[DITCH]

I HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD THAT MY 7 YEAR OLD SON HAS A TIC DISORDER
WHICH MAY BE TRIGGERED BY A SORE THROAT OR MAY HAVE BEEN PASSED
DOWN FROM MY HUSBANMY HUSBAND DISPLAYED A TIC A THE SAME AGE
BUT IS NOW ALRIGHT. MY SON TWITCHES HIS NOSE SHAKES HIS HEAD
NODS HIS HEAD, SHAKES HIS HANDS AS IF TO DRY THEM AND SOMETIMES
DOES WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS A SHIMMY DANCE WITH THE WHOLE BODY .HE ALSO MAKES FUNNY NOISES WITH HIS MOUTH WHICH THANKFULLY DO NOT TURN INTO WORDS.I FEEL WE HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING IN SEEING A NEUROLOGIST AS WE NOW KNOW WHAT IS WRONG AND CAN CONCENTRATE ON THE CAUSE.WE NOW KNOW THAT OUR SON CAN'T HELP BEING A FIDGET AND THAT WE NEED TO STOP TELLING HIM TO STAY STILL AS HE HAS NO CONTROL OVER WHAT IS HAPPENING.

[Redbug]

My son started seeing a Pychiatrist who put him on medication that started his tics.  He pulled him of after a week, and stated that the medication DID  NOT cause the tics, That my son had them previously.  My son was 7 and had never exihibited ANY signs of tics until he started taking this med(and they were immediate!). His tics consisted of A grimacing smile( like the cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland)every 10 seconds or so-sometimes it varied, but always at least 4x's a minute. The dr. changed his meds , yet the tics continued.  They are varied now, and change. Now he cocks his head alot, and picks his hands up to chest level and shakes them, or blinks his eyes.  His verbal tic consists of constantly clearing his throat, especially when under stress. We have since stopped seeing that dr.  I have had him of meds completely in the summer time, and had taken him to a nuerologist in the past, who could make no determinations due to my son's behavior at the time.  The tics seem to be most predominate when he is under stress,  and we just have learned to live with it and hope they will diminish with age. They are not as bad as they used to be... Pathetically, our insurance won't cover most testing we might opt to use......

[hillybegs]

I remember as a child having a couple of frustrating ticks, my mother used to get quite angry about them.  I used to press my eyelids tight together and tighten my facial muscles, and I hadn't a clue why, it looked silly.  It all stopped of its own accord within a year or so, when the time was right, and I think its because I wasn't pampered and given too much attention, wasn't sent to doctors, analysts, specialists, therapists etc.  I was allowed to relax and let things run their normal course.  I think we are much too fast to diagnose this or that, give it a super name, compare it, try to cure it, the more we get excited about these things the more difficult they are to get rid of.  
    My son has a couple of ticks. He fidgets with his glasses a lot when they need straightening, he twiches his shoulders etc. and I think all that's need is a bit of peace and calm in his life.  There's so much pressure on little children to start school early, be the best, fastest, life's just too hectic and they're just too small.  Do your family a favour and don't draw attention to your daughters' ticks, they're sure to dissapear soon enough when nature decides it's time.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

You should follow up first with your daughter's pediatrician, and he/she may recommend a consult with a pediatric neurologist. Motor tics can be part of the symptom picture of Tourette Disorder, or the behavior may represent what is called a simple tic. Those are two of the possibilities. Be sure to follow up medically.