Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Head shaking

My 7 year old son is shaking his head every couple on second. We thought it is because he needed a hear cut. we took him to get the hair cut and it subsided a little for a couple weeks, but never went away. Now it is getting worse. People are noticeing his shaking. I really am concerned his friends are going to tease him. Is this something to be concered about? Could this be an indication of something medically wrong?
44 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Hi I found this tread whilst I was trying to find out why my son was head nodding and hand flapping.  He's been diagnosed with Stereotypic Movement Disorder and its only recently they have begun to realise what it is.  Its often mis diagnosed as Tourettes or Tics but it isn't.  Behavourial therapy can help and sometimes ADHD is present as well.  Just wanted to update you as its taken me four years to get this far.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, I have a 8 year old daughter who started doing many weird movements since she was 5.  I have take her to many tests and evaluations with psychologists and neurologists and she was diagnosed with ADHD Inattentive Type and Tourette Syndrome.  I do not medicate her since the tics can get worse with ADHD medication.  Right now she's doing the same tic you have described your son is doing.  She shakes her head and smell her fingers at the same time. She even smell the food.  Doctors say it will go away when they grow up or it is possible they continue with at least one of the tics.  The trigger point of these tics are the streess, lack of rest, pressure from school or from home.  There is no cure for this syndrome and disorder, however there are therapies that can help them to learn how to manage the anxiety so they can control a little the tics.  I hope this could be helpful for you.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Pr7
I agree what you say Nirka..
Avatar universal
I am curious as to what you found out from the dr. Did you take your son? My son also put his fingers up to his mouth, would hop while walking (all the time and couldn't walk without hopping). Now he is shaking his head. I have been worried. what did you find out with your son?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am 15 years old and had head trauma when I was a toddler. As long as I can remember every once in a while I can feel tense pressure come and I would shake my head vigorously for second or two. I can't find anything like it on the internet.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My younger half brother has had Tourette Syndrome since he was young. I don't remember the exact age his symptoms became obvious, but I know by 7 years old he'd had it for a couple/few years. He inherited it from his father.  My brother is now 30 yrs old. He mainly has the head jerking symptom.

He turns his head around a lot. His head used to jerk a little and move around more randomly. But, I think as he was trying to get more control over the movement, it started looking like he was turning his head sideways to look back over his shoulder. I think he was able to get some control over the movement, and it probably looked to someone just passing by that he was looking over his shoulder. But if you knew him, you saw that he did that kind of often.

I think he has some other symptoms, but I'm not familiar with them. I think he's had some muscle (back?)  issues associated with Tourette Syndrome.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My son is 7 and does the exact same thing everyone else is saying!  He shakes his head and when I ask him why he says he doesn't know. I did take him to the doctor who checked him out and he found nothing wrong.  The doctor said it's probably just a habit he picked up and he'll probably stop after a while.  I got his eyes checked too but the eye doctor said he has perfect vision.  It still worries me though.  
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Child Behavior Community

Top Children's Health Answerers
189897 tn?1441126518
San Pedro, CA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Fearing autism, many parents aren't vaccinating their kids. Can doctors reverse this dangerous trend?
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
We answer your top questions about the flu vaccine.
Learn which over-the-counter medicines are safe for you and your baby
Yummy eats that will keep your child healthy and happy
Healing home remedies for common ailments