hand flapping

[pink0529]

I have a son that is almost 4 yrs old.  He is very social, articulate, and loves preschool.  He interacts with his friends and adults normally and has a sweet disposition.  Since he was one year old I have been concerned with his "hand flapping."  Although, I call it hand flapping it is more like a palsy movement and stiffening of hands and arms.  He does this when he is excited or tired.  It appears he holds it in during school, but on the drive home I will see him flapping as if he has built up all this excitement and needs to get it out.  When my husband takes him fishing it is out of control or we go to an aquarium and see the fish in the tanks he starts flapping.  Sometimes while watching a movie he will start flapping when an excited part happens....cars racing quickly etc.  My pediatrician keeps telling me he will outgrow it.  By age 3 he was still doing it so we decided to take him to a pediatric neurologist and was told it is something he will outgrow by around age 5 and to allow him to do it at home, but try to keep it under control in public and school.   He seems to be getting worse, will do this on a daily basis, but again only if excited or exhausted.  We plan to take him back to the pediatric neurologist in a few months when he turns 4.  There is absolutely know other signs of anything wrong besides the flapping.  We feel very blessed to have a healthy, bright boy, but am concerned because it is not getting better as he grow older.  I have seen other postings from a few other mothers that have the same concerns and was hoping there was some feedback from some of you, particularly shelbydog.  Shelbydog had a posting about a year ago regarding her son's similar behavior.  Everything you described regarding your son sounded just like my son.  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

This is something you should not worry too much about. He is still growing up. And the best part is, he himself know how to control it when in school. He will slowly learn to control it in other social situations also. Children learn by observation.

His mind is probably conditioned to react this way when he is excited. This can be "un-learned" over a period of time. You do not need to do anything extra.

Regards

[frosty50]

my son also did this flapping when excited or very happy. When he had playmates come over some noticed. sadly some asked him what is he doing and to stop. Doctor had him take an expensive test around 7 in the hospital with these pads on his head and body. it was negative. my son is now 19 and when he is happy or excited he clentches his hands -.fists together for a few stiff shakes. when he is walking into a event  and is excited to be going he  walks stiffer and arms straight down shaking his closed fists a couple times.  Your son will adapt also to something less obvious than the flapping in time. just remind him when he flaps that you see how happy is he about something but he should try to not flap as much. tell him all kids have to tone down thier way of showing excitement. some kids scream loudly and need to lower voice. some clap and clap and need contol. he won't feel bad about being so happy but understand all things are done in moderation. on the brighter note . my son is highly intellegent and my brothers child (6) has been doing the flapping thing and he is staight A student.  best wishes.

[Caringmom777]

I am glad to see that other people share our experience.  My son has been flapping his arms in excitement since he was a baby.  He also will clench and unclench his fists when he gets excited or happy.  Things that make him do this are tractors, trains, amusement rides, or anticipation of a favorite snack or drink.  He just turned 3 and still does it.  The flapping only lasts a few seconds. I don't think I could ever catch it on camera.  Now when we catch him, we say "stop flapping" and he does.  He is the most social, well developed, typical boy.  Like Dr. Deshmukh said, perhaps it is a learned behavior because everyone got a kick out of it when he was younger, so he kept doing it, and now it's just a habit???  I am a nurse and have pretty good instincts having worked with autistic children.  Although it is a little embarrassing in public, and the first thing I do is think that people will think he is autistic, I am not rushing him to a doctor.  I think with awareness he will soon learn to control this behavior and outgrow it altogether. In the meantime, I know of a parent whose son displays every autistic characteristic under the sun besides hand flapping and she seems to have no clue.  At least you are in tune with your child and if it does continue to be a problem for him, you can seek further advice from a neurologist. The point is, he's a happy child and you are a great parent, so he will be a happy adult!!  Maybe they were birds in their previous lives!! Haha.

[CTmomof2]

Hi...our son's behavior is virtually identical to yours.  He is happy, intelligent, very verbal, creative and well adjusted.  How is your son doing?  Our son does this also when very excited or socially engaged.  His preschool teacher has been noticing the flapping at school during their lunch time.  I also notice it at home when he is eating and talking/sharing with others.  She recommended we talk to our pediatrician about it, but my husband feels it is a non issue and that as he grows and becomes more aware of the flapping it will decrease.    It's amazing how similar they seem.  

[spamber]

My 19 month old son is showing very similar signs. He has flapped/twisted his arms when excited or stressed or tired since he was able to sit up. everything else seems to be progressing normally, very social, great eye contact, but his arms seem to flap more and more as he gets older, even while in his booster seat while i prepare dinner. sometimes he gets so excited that his legs kick too while sitting down in booster seat.

paediatrician dismissed my concerns 6 months ago and made me feel stupid, saying all kids flap and not to worry, he will grow out of it as he gains more control of what hes going. my husband thinks im crazy thinking someone is wrong, but ive never seen any other kids his age doing it so frequently.

going back to paed next week for follow up and will express my growing concerns. least i can see some other people with the same concerns on here.

[Allym1122]

Most of these posts describe my son's behavior to a t...   My son is almost 4 and has been diagnosed with Stereotypical movement disorder (SMD).
If you google Dr. Roger Freeman in Vancouver BC, he has several publications on this.
Our children are NOT autistic, it is not tourettes or tics. I have taken my son to several specialists.  I myself body rock and have all my life, it's just my son's movements are hand flapping, jumping and he does some facial grimacing too. I didn't do any of those....  Don't worry!

[AnonyMs]

Important !!!

My son has flapped arms and legs since about 1 1/2.  He was diagnosed 2 years ago with Stereotypical Movement Disorder.  They told us he would probably "grow out of it " and he is now 10 and in 5th grade and has NOT grown out of it !!!  He is being teased constantly by the other kids and he has recently been telling me that he does not want to live any more !!!  I am blaming myself for letting this go for so long because I was told he would probably "GROW OUT OF IT" and now I have a very very depressed 10 year old that hates school and hates his life because of these unusual movements.  

Note:  When I ask my son why he does it he says...  When he gets bored in school he starts to daydream about either cartoons or a video game and then he gets excited and starts flapping.  This happens throughout the day and the kids now being older, think he is doing it on purpose and they do not understand and tease him constantly !!!

I don't mean to scare you or depress you, but I want you to know what is happening to my son now that he is older.  I am now in a panic to stop these movements because they are ruining his life.  He is very depressed and angry when he used to be a very happy boy.

Feel free to e-mail me.  

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