Not sure what my son has

[Yvemel]

My son is 20 months old he has a mass on his brain.  Very often through the day he will roll his eyes to the left and make a barking like sound over and over for like 1 minute.  His nerologist doesn't seem to know what this is.  I am very concerned and frustrated and would like to help my son.  Do you have any idea what this can be and how I can go about treating it?  PLEASE HELP ME.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Yes, the usual age of onset of TD is between 2 years and 15 years (approx.), with 7 being the median age. That is, half of persons with TD develop it by 7 years. However, that by itself does not rule it out by any means. But technically his presentation does not yet meet the requirements of TD because he seems to be displaying only a single vocal tic right now. You can also post your question in the Neurology Forum and see waht the doctor on that Forum might think (remember: I am not a neurologist).

[Yvemel]

The Nerologist is not saying that it is tourettes she is saying she is not sure and that its not likely that it is tourettes being his age and all.  As for the tumor they just monitor it every 3 months to make sure there is no growth or change.  What else could it be?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The cerebellar involvement does not immediately explain the involunatry behaviors. Is the neurologist presuming that Tourette's is the explanation? If so, treatment is possible but, given the young age, there's no need to rush. What is planned re: the tumor?

[Yvemel]

The mass is in the left superior cerebellar penducle, dorsal left midbrain, and cerebellar vermis with exophytic extension into the fourth ventricle.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The most obvious suggestion is that the mass on his brain is the cause, but apparently that is not the explanation the neurologist would support. Certainly the behavior could indicate the onset of Tourette's Disorder, a neurological condition, but it is hard to imagine the behaviors are unrelated to the mass (depending on where the mass is located). Where is the mass? Is it confined to a single lobe of the brain?