Hello all,

I am after some advice really, i have an 8 yr old nephew who some of the family think may have tourettes except his mother, i dont really know but there is definately something wrong somewhere along the line, his behaviuor isnt bad but he does do some things that average children dont do like: he cant sit still he has to fidget all the time, he makes funny faces most of the time especially squinting his eyes alot (doctor has said this is due to needing glasses but it hasnt stopped him), he finds it extremely hard to stop talking and just sit peacefully he has to be fiddling with something like tapping on something or whistling or talking, he has difficulty at school although that has improved alot since he has had private tutoring and in his class at school he has to sit on his own all the time as he can be quite disruptive, he always like to be in the attention of someone all of the time and has an extremely bad memory, you have to ask him to do something about 6 or 7 times and even then its a stuggle to get him to do it.

Could this possibley be tourettes? i know that the symptoms are normally doing some kind of tic or nervous disorder but his facial movements could be this?????

Mel

Maybe it is TS, maybe not. Youd did describe something that seems a lot like ADHD. Are there any relatives with ADHD or TS (or both)? ADHD and TS sometimes occur together. IF he is having problems in school or in his social life, or at home, then perhaps his mom ought to have it looked into. If he is getting along okay in life than It might be best to let it be.


ME :D

Hi Speedo,

Thankyou for your input, umm how can i put this..... his mother wont look into it as she believes that he is just your average child but he isnt no other children in his class have to sit alone or have to see an educational someone (cant remember who she is)! I forgot to mention earlier that when he talks to you he has a tendency to shout rather than speak normally and gets extremely excited over some things, there isnt anything in the family that i know of but his dad is quite similar to him but not quite as ott if you know what i mean, we have just put that down to having a poor education and lack of attention when he was younger.

If his mother won't accept that something is bothering her child, there is nothing to constructive be done by intervening directly.

I think I'd try to persuade her to talk to his teachers and see what they say, and to just consider having the child evaluated. The premise being that if the child does no have any issues that it will do no harm, and on the outside chance that something does turn up , that will be covered too... so it is all good.

You might also tell her that kids with TS and ADHD are frequently gifted and they have special needs. Also kids with untreated ADHD are twice as likely to end up in jail , so playing it safe imeans getting the kid checked out.



ME :D

It could be according to this site.

http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/disorders/tourette_syndrome.shtml
quoted from site:
However, many people experience additional problems such as obsessive compulsive behavior, where the person feels that something must be done repeatedly, such as hand washing or checking that a door is locked; attention deficit disorder, where the person has difficulty concentrating and is easily distracted; learning disabilities, which include reading, writing, arithmetic, and perceptual difficulties; problems with impulse control, which can result in overly aggressive behaviors or socially inappropriate acts; or sleep disorders, which include frequent awakenings or talking in one's sleep.

I thought what you described sounded like someone who is distracted easily. I can forget to do something because I was distracted.

Of course any diagnosis should be done by a trained professional.