My TIC-ing Child
It took a series of strange behaviors and symptoms that my son was exhibiting over many months to finally figure out what was wrong with him. One day in April I noticed my son blinking his eyes rapidly. At first I thought he had something in one of his eyes or possibly was having some sort of allergy. A trip to a pediatric opthalmologist showed nothing wrong and better than normal vision for a two-and-a-half-year-old. She wondered if this "hyper-blinking" was stress related. And sure enough, Tyler was actually being bullied by a little boy at daycare who was once his friend. When things couldn't be resolved we changed schools and within less than a week, Tyler stopped the rapid blinking.
For a month or so, things seemed normal with Tyler. Then began symptoms such as sniffing, throat clearing, yawning, and heavy breathing. I would call the nurse line at our pediatrician's, scared to death Tyler was having an asthma attack or some other breathing difficulty, but other than these symptoms Tyler was active and happy. They seemed to come on when Tyler was at rest, such as when he was trying to go to sleep or watching television.
In early September, right before his third birthday, Tyler started to "shrug" his shoulders. At first we thought he had hurt his neck or back. We researched all of his symptoms and a trip to a children's therapist confirmed it. Tyler was suffering from verbal and motor
tics. Tics are three times more common in boys than girls and happen more often when a child is under stress. In a young child, they can last up to a year and do not necessarily mean that they will lead to
Tourette's Syndrome. In fact, the earlier the onset, the less likely that it will become a permanent condition.
That still doesn't stop my mind from fast-forwarding to a possible future with my poor son being subjected to teasing, odd looks or other challenges he might face.
One of the things research tells you to do is to ignore it, as making your child aware of it might exacerbate things. Unfortunately, Tyler is bringing it up. One day he told me, "Mommy, I'm sad." "Why are you sad, honey?" "Because I can't stop coughing or yawning." My heart was so broken for my son I don't even remember what I said to him, but my husband and I knew this was a problem that was interfering with his life and COULD NOT be ignored.
Our next step is taking Tyler to a therapist who works with tics and Tourette's in children with self-hypnosis. She seems like a good doctor, although she has never treated someone as young as Tyler, but we have to try, and thankfully, Tyler is very verbal and in-tune with what is going on. We have to wait until December 1st until our appointment. The doctor told us to tell him that we are taking him to see a "Magic Lady" and she is going to take away his coughs.
In the meantime, I must cope as best as I know how. Tyler's tics tend to come on strong at night, making bedtime very difficult. Right now he sleeps in a sleeping bag by my bed, and sometimes, when the tics are really bad, I take him into bed with me, trying to calm him down and make him feel more secure. As it is, it often takes him until 10:00 to fall asleep. I know having a three-year-old in your bed and in your room is against "The Rules," but until I learn more, I am doing the best I can for my little boy and operating on a mother's love and instincts.
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