Does my 3 year old have Tourettes?

Question

A couple of days ago (about 6) my son started "double blinking" and it started after he hung out with his half uncle who has Tourettes. I don't know if he picked it up, if it is a nervous habit or if he really has Tourette. My husband is telling me not to worry about it because him and his brother don't have the same dad...and it is genetic. I have taken him to his pedatrician today and she pretty much refered me to a Neuroligist to check him out. If I let them give him an ECG (is that right?) will it definatley let me know if he has tourettes or is it pretty hard to discover? I think Im going to cancel the appt. and see what happens in a month or so. See if anyother tics have developed. Has anyone else ever dealt with this? What symptoms should I be watching for? Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Tourettes is a Neurological disorder in the brain. It is not contagious. The conventional wisdom is that it is hereditary, but there has been recent genetic research that may suggest otherwise. (I have the info, please let me know if you'd like it).

Three is pretty early for symptoms to start, but not impossible. My recommendation is keen observation, notes, and a video camera.

An EEG is good, but not a determining factor in diagnosing Tourettes. It will, however, rule out any seizure disorders, and that is important. There is no "one" test for Tourettes. It is diagnosed by observation in the Dr. office and your oral history.
DO THIS: While he is playing alone and there are minimal distractions, video tape him without him knowing. This will prevent him from "hamming it up" for the camera. This information will help tremendously in the diagnostic process. Your notes and observations will also be vital to the process. We did this (video tape) with our son when the tics and vocal tremors were very obvious, just in case they were not present during the prescribed day and time of the appointment.

Tourettes is difficult to diagnose in small children because it is difficult to know if the movements and/or sounds they are making are in their control. And since he is so young, it would be difficult to ask him. If you have referral a Pediatric Neurologist in your area, I would keep the appointment as an office/information visit. Assuming the tics continue, bring your video camera (to show that tape) and your husband with you. For some reason, a Doctor will take a set of parents seriously and not attribute what you are saying to "a hysterical mom". Start a relationship with this doctor. This will help over the years.

ABOVE ALL stay calm. Having a child with Tourettes is not the worst thing in the world. You will find this to be true when you spend any amount of time in a Pediatric Neurology waiting room. And please ignore the stupid, uninformed, and rude answers that will come. Coprolalia (cursing) occurs in a VERY SMALL number of TS patients and is not a requirement for a diagnosis.

If your child has TS, the most important thing to do for him is to provide a safe, stress free (as much as possible) home environment where he is allowed to tic without comment from others. Unconditional acceptance is imperative.

We got the diagnosis at age 9. Symptoms really started to kick in at 7-8. Little things started at 4. He is now almost 12 and is doing great. He is sweet, loving and a great kid. He has a high IQ, plays chess, builds advanced Lego sets, makes stop-motion animation movies on his iMac and it artistically gifted. I would not trade him for the world.

You are blessed to have a Pediatrician who gives the referral to a Neurologist right away! I had to switch pediatricians until someone listened! My road to diagnosis was rocky. I hope that my journey will be a help to you in yours. Blessing and prayers for a good outcome.

Answer 2

My four year old son has it, expect a lot of waiting for appointments, expect a lot of funny looks from people. We have found it best to try and keep him stress free, recognise his triggers but be firm as well, don't let it rule you life. Be a team, Mum, Dad, & Son. We use a weekly calender that he helps fill in to show him what he is doing, at the end of each night he ticks off the day and talks about tomorrow. We found it is a lot better for him that he know what he is doing, he sleeps a lot better and wakes in a happier mood. And that seems to keep the fits down. Towards the end of the day he is tetchy and more likely to start. It tends to be the unannounced shopping trip or other children that sets him off. He'll start swearing and hitting out for no obvious reason. We found that shouting at him had no effect at these times so now we will just remove him from the situation and have a "time out" somewhere quiet. Doesn't always work but atleast sometimes it does. Sorry that I can't be more optimistic, he is a loving child, he loves praise, loves doing things. We don't always do what he wants but keeping fun and busy helps.

Answer 3

I'm no doctor, but 3 years old seems awful young to start getting symptoms of Tourettes. Have you looked it up on the internet yet? I would, but if he was around his uncle that has it, 3 year olds tend to pick up litlle things that they notice like that. I would keep your appointment though, because you are going to worry about it until a doctor puts your mind at ease if you are like me. I'll say a little prayer for you.

Answer 4

I would continue to observe the child, to see any others symptom appears. Symptom to watch for are facial or motor tics movement. Example nose twiching or head jerking and watch for unacceptable for words, sounds or phases before I do an ECG test. Young children like to copy each others.

Answer 5

I am NOT a doctor,or in the medical field,but I do work w/ children that have special needs. Sounds to me like he might be imitating the half uncle. My personal opinion agrees w/ your decision to cancel the appt. and see if anything else develops.I'm noteven sure if tourettes can really be diagnosed at such a young age. I wish you luck..and no matter what,I'm sure you have a wonderful child! :)

Answer 6

The test is actually an EEG, elctro encephelo gram. A scan of the electronic activity within the brain. If blinking is his only issue than he probably is just doing it because he "discovered" it.

Answer 7

kids at this age are still discovering the neat things they can make their bodies do...he most likely saw what his uncle was doing and thought it looked fun. I wouldn't worry if I were you, but keep an eye out.

Answer 8

HE MAY JUST BE DOING THE SAME THING THAT HE SAW HIS UNCLE DO
I WOULD NOT WORRY ABOUT IT AT THIS POINT
BUT IF IT CONTINUES GET HIM TESTED
HE IS NOT SAYING BAD WORD OR RACIAL SLURS IS HE?
GOOD LUCK

Answer 9

Hows his cussing? If hes cussing like a mo'fo' then he could have Tourettes...or a wannabe pimp