"Tics" in 9 yr old son

[smiley7]

My 9 year old son has demonstrated various "tics" since he was 3 or 4 years old.  These have included mostly vocal tics , such as ending all his sentences with a squeak or clearing his throat incessantly or making high-pitched squeaking noises when he's watching TV or walking on the treadmill at the gym.  He has recently added a head twitch that is very distracting to everyone around him.  He is highly intelligent and gets along with everyone across all ages.  These tics seem to coincide with either down time activities (the vocal tics) or when he's in deep concentration, such as during school or at his gymnastics class (the head twitching).  His tics do not remain the same, but they always consist of some sort of vocal noise of which he seems unaware.  It's really starting to get on the family's nerves.  He is the youngest of five and none of my other children have demonstrated such behavior.  Is this normal?  Should he eventually outgrow these tics?

[Shiree36]

Wow, didn't realize how old post was. Apologies. :-)

[Shiree36]

Hey, you don't know me and I don't know you, but your response is amazingly comforting to me. My son is going on 9 and has had vocal and some facial motor tics since he was at least 2. Never really been diagnosed and never done any medications apart from toying with Valerian. Our position has been thus far to ignore it until he doesn't want to. We then use breathing exercises, cardio, yoga, warm Epsom salt baths, etc. we also for several years have tested food allergies and stayed clear of dyes etc. None of these measures erase the tics, but if all ducks are in a row and he has a schedule, and his environment is organized, it's better. I have days where I wonder if we are doing him a disservice by not doing a med, but he doesn't want anything unnatural. He has said his tics don't bother him much, and  think he tics a lot at home and during homeschool because when he goes out in public he almost stops completely or at least less noticeable. He says his tics make him smart and special. Anyway, it's  a breath of fresh air, hearing from a man who went through it, and came out the other side, relatively unscathed? ;-)
All our best to you as well,
Shiree

[April2]

Hey thanks for your input! It's always good to hear from somebody who's been there. I've got a question for you. My son has been having facial tics for years now. As you see from my above post, we've run all kinds of tests on him. They basically blew us off at that point. My son is now 19 and wants to get tested again. He was last tested about 3 years ago. His Psychology teacher at his college said it might be a good idea to be seen again because they may have new medications or more knowledge now since it's been a few years. Do you think it's worth him getting seen again? Do you agree with the doctor that it is probably just facial tics and not Tourettes since he doesn't have the vocal noises to go with it? My son wants to be seen again because he's a bit self-conscious about it. He's at the age he can take himself, of course. The specialist lives in another city, but it's the same one we saw before, so I don't know if he's just going to tell him the same thing or not. Just wanted your opinion.
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack this post! I just didn't see a way to send you a private message because you don't have a profile made. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Smiley, I hope all this helps! Keep in touch with us and let us know how your son is doing, ok?

[drakespa]

I am a 34 year old man, and I went through what you are both describing.  I do have Tourrette's Syndrome (TS) - and was diagnosed at a fairly young age of around 5 or 6.  My drs originally said it was nervous habits also, but another dr finally correctly diagnosed me (after going through hsome *hell* session of trying to condition away the nervous habits).  I have the vocal tics, and the motor tics; they are not nearly as bad now as they were when I was younger.  I did suffer the teasing as a child, and it made it tough.  Everything April 2 said it just about t100% right on.

One way to think of a tick is much like an obsessive comopulsive disorder - in fact in some ways they are very similar.  An OCD person cannot stop a certain thought process, or can't stop the need to do something in a pattern (i.e. turn a light off/on in a certain rhythm before leaving it off).  My wife is slightly OCD (we sound like a match made in heaven, huh?) and she said sommetimes it feels like an impending doom if she doesn't do what she feels she needs to do.  Well, the urge in a TS is about the same - it feels like you NEED to perform the tic - most of the time the need is as basic as the need to breath, or blink, and the person isn't even aware of it.  but like you or me, if you stop yourself from blinking for along time, the need to blink really builds up, and eventually you go into a *frenzy* of blinking to get your eyes back to the norm.

My tics ebb & flow over time, and most definitly w/ stress, as April2 mentioned - across a day, as well as across a year.  Around the holidays they get worse b/c of all the associated stresses, and w/in a day the intensity can also vary, such as if I have an important meeting to go to.

The hard part is that "yes" the tics are noticeable, children can definitely be cruel, and it will stress your family at time - but trust me, the stress your child feels can be significantly greater than anything you will be experiencing - especially if they feel the family is stressed by their tics, or if they are being judged by the family.   The good part is like April2 said, that the family can be his safe haven and escape, the one place where if he does feel the need to tic he can tic away all he wants some time i just "tic like a time bomb" at home, but knowing that I can do it at home, gives me an outlet and a release, and it usually enables it to relax b/c I'm not stressing about it.

the other upshot is, I have been able to do anything I've ever wanted to do, and I've never allowed my tics to hold me back - black belt in martial arts, sang for a very successful band in college, 2 engineering degrees, technical-lead/project manager at work, etc.  In some ways my tics empowered me because I got tougher as a kid, and learned to deal with adversity.  Do I wish I didnt have TS?   Sometimes yes, but I can't imiagine what my life would have been like - it's the life I know.  As I;ve gotten older they have settled down a bit, but again flair up at times.  I have also learned to control them a bit more - to supress them at times, and to learn what things to avoid (such as sugar and !!!CAFFEINE!!!), and also how to concentrate on relaxinig to help alleviate the stresses.  And I am an uptight, fairly tightly wound fella, so its not been easy.

Any how - best of luck to you and your son.  I also recommend talking to a professional, getting the help you need, and maybe even getting on the right medication help with some of it - I was placed on catapress (clonidin) at an early age, but have taken nothing for years.  I now sometimes consider gooining back to maybe get a new medication that might not lnly help with the tics, but with my up-tight-ed-ness also - a nice little pink pill to make everything better!!!  Oh, if only it were that easy!!!

Best of luck to you , and god-bless your ventures.

[April2]

If he's making vocal noises along with his tics, that's usually an indication of Turettes Syndrome, I've been told by my doctor. My son has had facial tics and we went through all kinds of tests including an MRI to rule out a brain tumor and everything came back normal. Our doctor then sent us to a specialist who said that in our case it was just a nervous habit and there's not much they can do about it except to lay off the caffeine and get more sleep. However, he did say if his tics changed or he started having vocal noises then to bring him back in because that's usually an indication of Turettes. Not all Turettes cases are the same. They don't all have the outburts of profanity that you've probably heard of and scared by. That's actually the more extreme cases of Turettes. Most people with it DON'T have that but do have the tics, throat clearing, and vocal noises.

Take him to the doctor and go ahead and get some tests run to rule anything else out and then ask to see a Nuerolgist who specializes in Turettes.
By the way, you said he gets it more in school. Usually, stress brings it on or can make it worse. I know you said it's getting on your nerves, but he can't help it and is probably embarressed by it. If not now, he will be because kids at school might start making fun of him. He's going to need your compassion and support right now. He's not doing this to annoy you. This is something he can't control (sometimes they can control it a little bit but then it will come on stronger later. My son said he noticed that. He will try to control it at school or wherever so that people don't stare but then it will come on strong when he's at home. It's almost like he stored it up and feels free to release it at home). Your son needs to know that his home is his haven and he can be himself. Please don't redicule him or scold him. He really can't help it.
Take that first step and go see your doctor. I wish you and your son well. God bless.