Toddler with tics ? (son, video, behavior, childhood)

[phillygirl123]

My son is 2.5 and has just started doing some body movements that are concerning me. First he was blowing his hands for a few weeks all day. Now he has been doing some weird hand movements, like rolling his wrists and shrugging his shoulders. He still blows occasionally too. He seems to do it more when sitting down at the dinner table or reading books. I was reading it could be tics and they could go away but it’s giving me major anxiety. He just got glasses a month ago. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. Also reading online it seems these start in later years so makes me even more concerned. Any one have this experience ?

[PHL10]

You should ask your pediatrician. If it were to be a tic, there's really not much to do about it at such a young age.

My daughter, who is now 11 has a tick disorder. But you are correct, tics generally appear around ages 5 to 6 or so.

[Kristinas_Cap]

My oldest was an arm flapper and had tics but was otherwise normal. Now that she is older the flapping has stopped as well as the tics.

[phillygirl123]

Originally Posted by Kristinas_Cap

My oldest was an arm flapper and had tics but was otherwise normal. Now that she is older the flapping has stopped as well as the tics.

How old when that started and stopped ? Reading stuff online is of course making me crazy. Some stuff says could get worse at 10-11 and others say could get better or go away completely.

[gus2]

Agree to check with your ped. It could be nothing or it could be something or it could be something in-between (like a "watch and wait" thing). Worth the visit copay for peace of mind.

[germaine2626]

Originally Posted by gus2

Agree to check with your ped. It could be nothing or it could be something or it could be something in-between (like a "watch and wait" thing). Worth the visit copay for peace of mind.

I agree, check with your pediatrician. I would suggest taking a few short (one or two minute) videos that show him doing whatever he is doing. It would also be very helpful for the doctor if you make a few notes on how often he does each thing, and for how long, and in what situation. Obviously, there is an enormous difference, if a child exhibits a specific behavior once every two or three days for five minutes, vs. four or five times every day for ten minutes each time, vs. five times every day for sixty minutes each time.

Try to be specific, "all day" to you could mean for one minute every hour while he is awake, or continuously the entire time that he is awake (continuously for six to seven hours at a time), or even continuously (virtually 24 hours a day) whether he is awake or asleep. Don't make the pediatrician guess what you mean. Try to have a little hard data when you come to the appointment. This would also be extremely helpful if the pediatrician wants to refer you to a specialist.

I was an early childhood special education teacher for several decades (a teacher of children with a handicapping condition from birth to age five). Please see your pediatrician. I agree with gus2, it could be absolutely nothing, it could be more serious or somewhere in the middle. It could also be something that is easy to change/modify at 2 and a half, but would get much worse, if you wait until he starts kindergarten to "check it out" and try to correct it then.

Good luck.