Tic or Just Something He'll Outgrow?? Don't Want to Overanalyze,,,

Hi. My 5 year old had a coughing tic for almost two months which eventually went away (I told him each time he feels like he needs to cough, take a sip of water and within three days it was gone). He also gets very overstimulated easily. He was sensitive to noise but social, sweet, smart and kind. I use past tense because most of it is gone. A lot of it was going on between 3-4 years. I will say I put him in Kung Fu and it has done wonders for self control, overstimulation and impulsivity. In addition, when I was little I had tics- squinted, rocked, etc. I grew out of it by the time I was in about fifth grade and am fine today (although My husband may disagree:-). I would not worry too much.

My son developed with sensory issues... He also has a "tic" or however it is called. He will look at moving cars, for instance bring his arms up to shoulder level and flare his fingers open. We call it "the frilled lizzard" because that is exactly what he looks like when he does this.

His whole body kind of tenses up, his upper shoulders get rigid, his face muscles (big smile on his face, sometimes a funny smirk). He would do this with textures and patterns too.. he will walk sideways past, say a brick wall, look at the patterns and start to do the Frilled Lizzard... its funy to watch, but I am hoping it is a fase...

My brother used to rub his hands together really hard when he got exited, and then he use to make squealing sounds... almost sounded like a sharp eeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhh... that went on until he reached puberty.

Hang in there... it might just be that he has a habit, or does not know how to express his excitement. If you are concerned, please follow your gut and go see a specialist.

Hugs

You mention he's sensitive to noises...
Just wondering if he has any other sensory issues. We didn't find out until our son was 11 that he had sensory processing issues, which finally explained some of his "quirks".

You might be interested in checking out this symptom checklist :

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-proces...

Best wishes :o)

My just turned 9 yr old has had some "tics" too. He likes to roll his neck and sometimes "pop"his elbow/arm. He is also sensitive to too much noise. These are not everyday things, but things that I catch (and his teaches has seen) on an occasional basis. Besides these "occasions" he is fine and is acedemically talented beyond his peers and reads to almost an adult level. Don't worry about it. Don't draw attention to it. At my son's age, just a gentle reminder is needed - aka "neck thing" or "arm thing" is all that is needed. I usually see it when he is deep in thought doing a writing assignment or something. Through his AT (Academically Talented) program, I have found that many of these things are common and normal. I didn't see them when he was 3 - except for lining cars and shoes up!

I would just give it a while because he is growing mentally and physically very fast.

My son has had tics off and on most of his life (he's now 7yrs). It started around 3yrs old. He used to constantly sniff...as if he had a stuffy nose. After a while, that went away and then he picked up a tic where he would constantly scratch his nose. That went away then he would roll his eyes or blink them really hard. Then that went away and then a different tic where he would "Wind or Roll" his shoulder. That finally went away and then he would "clear his throat" constantly. That went away, then he picked up the habit of cracking his neck. He would roll his neck a certain way almost as if there was a crick in it. That went away and then the blinking and eye rolling came back. That went away and now we're back to the neck cracking. He's also cracking his knuckles alot. He'll get really excited and crack each knuckle on each hand at the same time with his thumbs.

Yes, over the years, I was seriously worried about Tourrettes Syndrome. I was worried he would develop the very-serious illness and have to live with it forever. His pediatrician assured me it was completely normal for his age and yes he would grow out of it. Now, understand, these tics came and went over a period of 4yrs. And it wasn't every day every month for those 4 yrs. He would have a tic for about a month or two and then nothing for a long while. The doctor told me to just ignore it and not badger him about it. If I bothered him about it trying to get him to stop, it would make it worse. The best thing for me to do is to either distract him with his hands so he cant crack his knuckles...like coloring, doing a crossword puzzle, sports, etc. or to just leave it alone. And he was right...the more I said something, the more he did it.

So just leave it alone if you can and if you're still worried, talk to his doctor. Good Luck and I hope this post has helped.

My 7 yo did this tic thing with her head when she would get excited, moving it back and forth and side to side like some kind of bobble head chicken pecking. It lasted for a few months and freaked out everyone in the family. My husband made me call the pediatrician who just told me to keep a log of when it happened and anything specific that was happening that may have triggered it and report back to her in a month. After several months she outgrew it and I haven't seen it in a long time. You could do the log like my doctor recommended, but I think I would ignore it for a while. Kids have nervous tics and this sounds like one of them.

My 7 year old has some tics too. Right now he whispers the last word/words he said just like that kid on "The Middle". His ped. did not seem to concerned but said if I wanted to take him to the neuro. So, far it's not bothering him or causing any other problems so I am holding off.

My son (3 1/2) has some sensory issues and he rings his hands a lot and when he gets really excited about something his nervous system starts going into over-drive and if you are holding him you can feel his nerves going crazy!! BUT, I think it is probably normal for a child to have a tic without having sensory problems. My son is also sensitive to noises, it does not totally distract him but he is very aware of alot of noises!

Kids are quirky. Would not worry about it. Next time at ped you can mention it.