Tics

[zeldasmum]

Hya

 

I have looked at the criteria for tourettes dx and it states that alongside motor tics there must be a vocal tic.

 

So my question is do your AS children have tics that aren't classified as tourettes?

 

DS 6 has had a tic for over a year. it started as just nose scrunching and sniffing but has now evolved into - Scrunching nose + sniffing - eyes widening looking out of corners of eyes - flicking tongue and licking lips followed by a grimace. they are not separate tics he does them all together folowing the pattern as I have listed.

 

He does have stims as well,finger flicking, flapping, bouncing from foot to foot but he does these when excited or frustrated whereas he does the tics all the time.

 

what is the differance between a stim and a tic?

 

Thanks for any replies.

[KezT]

DS has vocal and physical tics but we have not looked for a tourettes dx - no sure if it woud help TBH. He has a DX of ASD and the tic's come as part of that in his case.

 

As I understand it a stimis something they do (often unconsciously) because they like the feeling, whereas a tic is something they do unconsciously regardless of how painful/uncomfortable/embaressing it might make them feel.

[zeldasmum]

Thanks for your reply, at the moment DS doesn't have a dx of anything still in the process.

 

I was just unsure if tics are part of AS.

[LS2242]

My son(10) has tics and has done for the past 3 years at least. He did have them before then but I did not recognise them as tics.

He got his official dx last week of Aspergers and a co-morbid of transient tic disorder. They say his tics are not part of criteria for AS but more of an extra due to the stress he has which come from reasons of the AS criteria

Hope that makes sense.

[bid]

I think a dx of TS is linked to how long the tics have been consistently apparent too?

 

When my DS was 14/15 he had as severe breakdown and came out of school. When his consultant for paed. disability saw him he said he also had borderline TS too, due to his acute levels of anxiety. It manifested itself in an explosion of motor and vocal tics (thank goodness, not swearing).

 

I imagine it was classed as bordeline, because as soon as his anxiety levels began to drop, the tics gradually began to fade. He still has a couple of teent-tiny motor ones but unless you knew what you were looking for I think you would be hard pressed to see them.

 

Hope this gives a bit of hope for the future.

 

Bid

[Sally44]

Hya

 

I have looked at the criteria for tourettes dx and it states that alongside motor tics there must be a vocal tic.

 

So my question is do your AS children have tics that aren't classified as tourettes?

 

DS 6 has had a tic for over a year. it started as just nose scrunching and sniffing but has now evolved into - Scrunching nose + sniffing - eyes widening looking out of corners of eyes - flicking tongue and licking lips followed by a grimace. they are not separate tics he does them all together folowing the pattern as I have listed.

 

He does have stims as well,finger flicking, flapping, bouncing from foot to foot but he does these when excited or frustrated whereas he does the tics all the time.

 

what is the differance between a stim and a tic?

 

Thanks for any replies.

 

 

I think you would be reasonable to ask that this is also looked into as part of his diagnosis process.

 

It maybe a repetitive behaviour rather than a tic, or could be a response to sensory issues - either of these would fall under ASD. I think the best description has already been given that a tourettes tic is something the person feels compelled to do even if they don't want to, they just can't stop it.

 

There can also be nervous behaviour. My son has been off school due to anxiety issues related to sensory/information overload etc and he has developed a nervous cough, which is one single cough the strength of a sneeze. He's had it since Christmas and the GP now says it is a stress reliever/nervous cough and should go of its own accord when the levels of anxiety/stress reduce.

[Aine]

So my question is do your AS children have tics that aren't classified as tourettes?

 

There have been a few over the years. Currently it's squeaking every two or three seconds. Drives me nuts. He's been given a social story about it, and that seems to have reduced it a little.