My 2.5 year old son started having tics a couple of weeks ago which coincided with his potty training which leads me to believe they're stress-induced. The tics have lessened significantly but I still notice them daily. Strange thing is they seem to change every few days. At first it used to be hard blinking and then it was a scrunching up of the left side of his face. Now its more a scrunching up of his nose or a shrugging of his shoulders. And it's only been 2 weeks! The tics are fairly mild (teachers haven't noticed) and only seem to appear when he's excited or stressed. I've heard differing opinions about these tics ranging from waiting it out to see if they disappear to going to see a neurologist about it. For all those mamas out there whose children had tics, what has been your experience and what do you recommend? Thanks!
Has he had any vaccinations or a flu shot lately? My son developed a tic after a flu shot. It went away fairly quickly (about a week or two) and we just don't do flu shots anymore. My pediatrician said some vaccinations can cause neurological reactions like tics. I would start with your pediatrician rather than going straight to a neurologist. Good luck!
How about a neurology student replying?
Whenever you have a concern.
That easy :)
There's nothing scarier (okay, theoretically at least) about a neurologist or physiological psychologist (same field, they work right next to each other in the same lab/office) than a dermatologist.
If you noticed a rash, you'd see a dermatologist, yes?
If you notice a tic or other neurological concern.... pediatric neurologist!
Hello,
My daughter who is 6 is having tics also.
I am trying to get her into a neurologist to get checked out.
I would see his pediatrician as he/she could then give you a referral for one or call your insurance company to see if one is around that takes your insurance.
The tics changing is normal.
My husband thought it was something my daughter was just doing since the tic always seems to change.
Putting her chin to her neck and now she does an eye roll type thing.
I tried just waiting it out but at her age she notices them and asked me if there was anything we could do to get her help.
She is also seeing a psychologist and she said it could either be behavioral or neurological but my older brother also has them so they are pretty sure it is neurological.
I also have a lot of anxiety in my family and apparently that is a pretty common factor amongst children who have tics.
So if they stick around I would have them checked out just to be sure of what is going on.
Good luck!
Hi my son is 7. I just took him to see a neurologist three weeks ago. He mostly has eye rolls but also has a variety of little facial ticks. His teachers have noticed them and have kept daily records of when they occur and what he is doing at the time that they occur. This was helpful when I saw the neurologist and she was able to see the daily activity while in school and rule out that they were not eye-related issues (i.e. eye allergy). The neurologist did a lot of physical tests with my son and asked us a lot of questions. In the end, she said that 10% of boys get tics and generally they go away. Some tics are definitely stress induced and he may have them throughout his life as well. It is difficult to tell now. She said if he starts making sounds with the tics to bring him back. I'm glad I saw the neurologist because it at least gave me peace of mind. We do not bring attention to our sons tics and have asked the school to do the same. Good luck!
