My son is showing signs of ts

[Daniel2008]

My little boy is 8 years old and is starting to show some signs of motor tics. I have spoken to school and they are very supportive but at the moment its just in the observation stage. He is quite a nervous little boy and its not that unusual he can shrug his shoulders or blink his eyes. Last week he started shaking his head to one side as though he was moving his hair out of his eyes. Dispite having short hair. Any advice would be helpful.

[rickcricow]

Love him and accept him.

And unless the tics become HUGE, don't drug him.

And you can ask me questions...I'm a 63 yr old male with TS. Started when I was a kid, diagnosed when I was 26. Rick

[lesleytrundle]

My advise would be to keep a diary and collect video evidence of your sons tics and a visit to your local GP so you can be refered for a proper assessment.

[Rubysarahsmum]

Ruby started at that age I would push to get him referred,I left it and at the moment we're in a critical stage of puberty Tourette's anxiety all at once which results in major meltdowns .

[Jules10]

Hi - Im a mum of a son now 17 who had ts from 7 to 15 - my advice is to not draw attention to the tics, love him and support him and if they get worse which they may if its TS then ensure school have all the information needed to support him which you can download from the TS site - most teenage boys grow out of TS by 15, its hard but there is really nothing wrong with the child its just tics which they can't help like an itch to us, We had 8 years of doctors appointments (who admit there is nothing they can do except give you drugs, don't go down this route!) Julie

[grace111]

my boyfriend has TS and he often tells me about the terrible times he had at school. many children calling him names and how he was for ever fighting. he is 58 now and it was less heard of then. he thinks he got it because of vaccinations. i dont know about this. he is so glad he was never put on any medication when he was younger although he did try it later in his adult life but never took it for long he said it was the worst thing he ever did.it doesnt bother me one bit how much he shakes his head or blinks. he is very very artistic and good at many things. love grace xoxoxo

[Lalala]

Tourette's syndrome means that both vocal tics and at least one motor tic have been present for a year. There are many other levels of tic disorder.

Tourette's is a spectrum disorder and is associated with other comorbidites - E.g. ADHD, obsessionality.

Not everyone needs to go on medication, but the medication can be very helpful if the syndrome is severe, and shouldn't be discounted if tics are really awful. It also shouldn't be used lightly, as side effects can be serious.

[SuDp in reply to Lalala]

Research diet and remission of Tourettes symptoms. My son was diagnosed at the age of 10. He had the worst symptoms imaginable. I visited a nutritional therapist and she took him off gluten, dairy and sugar for 3 months. This was very, very hard but there are replacements. Within 8 weeks, his symptoms were reduced, though this seemed to happen suddenly - it was there, then it wasn't. After 3 months he was symptom free. He is now 19, he is a music scholar and leads a normal life. He manages his symptoms himself. He now eats everything except gluten, but if he brings it back in, the tics return, though not in any way like before. There is a big link between gut health and the brain - there is a lot of research about this on the internet. My advice would be to visit a reputable nutritional therapist, (not a dietician), but do your own research as well.

[lesleytrundle]

I would also speak to your GP, you could keep a diary, this is good for evidence, for when you see specalists