Does my 9 year old have Tourette Syndrome?

[TNL5978]

My son is 9 years old and has had signs of something since he was little. When he was about 3, I started noticing when he got excited or was thinking about something exciting he would cross his hands in front of him and walk around in circles. If he ever saw me looking at him, he would get embarrased. I would ask him what he was thinking about, and he would reply" I was thinking about batman flying". Well at the time I thought it was cute, but its not getting any better. Over the past couple of years i have watched him. If his friends were playing a video game or playing sports, he would be standing behind them with his hands crossed tensing uncontrollably.
What brought this to my attention once more was our vacation this past week. My husband and I were out on the balcony and could see in the condo, but my son couldn't see out. My husband was watching him..my 6 year old daughter was asleep in the chair and my son was sticking his tongue out at her and messing with his face. It went on for about a minute, and my husband started crying wondering what was wrong with him. He rubs his nose, pulls at his shirt, rubs his cheeks, and is very tense. We watched him last night through his bedroom window, and while he was watching a movie he did all the same stuff again. He is getting older now so he only does it when he feels no one is looking.
My question is " does this fall into the same category as tourettes, or is it something else"? He is very intellegent, but really up tight. He worries about everything, and always thinks everything out. I want him to enjoy life as a kid, but he reminds me of an adult most the time. I dont like the idea of giving him medicine, but if it is my only option to giving him a better life, then I will do it.

Sincerely,
          A concerned parent

[STTS]

hi
i saw your posting while following various threads in search of help for my youngest who is autistic.
since she came along, 5 years ago, with the development of her 'ways', i chose to find out (at 42 years old) if what i had always thought i might have, which is tourettes.
after all of the tests, most of which are multiple choice oral and written questions about my behaviour both mentally and socially and of course, the tics, i was diagnosed as mild TS.
i made it through life mostly hiding my tics as i am able to move them around my body. for example, if i really needed to satisfy a mouth half grimace tic i have, but am speaking face to face with someone, i will do a different tic, probably one in my right foot/toes.
it sounds like your son is also able to do this to a degree, hence really letting go when he thinks that nobody can see him and hence ticcing like crazy.
i should say that your son is very lucky that you have noticed this about him as my TS went unnoticed or atleast unacknowledged throughout my life. thats not to say that i have had to juggle my tics constantly to fit in with my life of 'denial'. when i was diagnosed, less than 2 years ago, i texted evryone i know to tell them. most of them were oblivious to it, mostly because i had hidden it so well, but it was a release for me nonetheless. i have yet to tell my parents about my diagnosis because i think that my father also has TS but also hid it away. i do remember my father saying 'Don't do that!' - when i was a child, doing odd obsessive noises or behaviours.
What i do know is that tics generally get more intense when under more stress. the more chilled out you can keep your son, the less he will tic or potentially, tic more lightly and more  discretely.
if it is any consolation, i have made it through life. i have had various successful businesses, ...some not! i have written and produced music for various international record labels and am a singer.
i have a wonderful wife and two amazing daughters, a 5 yr old autistic with little or no speach communication and still in nappies who doesn't sleep ever and possible also has tourettes, and i have a 10 yr old who is just very naughty!

rather than playstation, get your son some drums or a piano!
get him assessed. he will be relieved that he doesnt have to hide it, from his parents at least, anymore.
s t

[Izzi126]

Hi - I am Izzi126 and have posted on her for the last several days.  My daughter has some form of tic/TS/nervous behavior.  The reason I write is that a doctor who post on this forum has indicated to me that perhaps my daughter has nervous behavior rather than actual TS.  You can read my post it is the very first one when they opened this forum last week I think. Sounds to me that your son also has this nervous behavior and it is more of a release of anxiety rather than tics/TS.  I am not a doctor by any means but especially that you say he does it when he is by himself, indicates he is releasing anxiety, many of us probably have  habits that we act upon when alone.  I would watch and journalize and read as many forums as you can, there are several good ones out there.  Again I am not a doctor but my research had lead me to believe that it is more of a jerking motion controlled or uncontrolled - doesn't seem that you are describing that.  However I could be wrong.  The good news is that it seems that of the 65% of the kids that get this a good majority of them it goes away by adolensces.  Good luck