Calendula - Son may have Tourette's

[calendula]

Thanks everyone for the support.

I was actually pleasantly surprised last night at P/T Conferences. They went very well. My oldest son, Z is doing just great academically and behavior wise, got a great report from his teacher.

E's teacher was very understanding when we talked, and seems to have softened her annoyance a bit. We were able to compare notes as far as E's behavior, and we both agreed that his tics have gotten progressively worse, and think its a good move taking him to see a neurologist. She also said that though E has trouble sitting still and such, he is quite the charmer, and very popular with his classmates and other teachers. So, at least not all of his social skills are shot! I'll let everyone know what happens at his appt. on Friday and share any tips the doctor gives me ('specially for you hillfarm since I know you might be going through something similar ).

In the meantime, I'm taking SD's advice and trying not to worry 'til I know for sure what's going on. Hope everyone's having a great day!

 

[BirdBrain]

Calendula,
My kids and I just watched a movie this past weekend called "Front of the Class". It was a fantastic true life story of a young man who grew up with Tourette's. I can't recommend it enough.

About ADHD and meds...after years of my boys being on meds I finally had enough. The meds did help in some areas but the side effects had become untenable. We quit cold turkey. I had no real plan but I knew things had to change. We were pretty much off all processed food and sugar. To tell the truth, it was horrible for a month. I got in to see a natropath who discovered my kids were gluten intolerant, had multiple food allergies (not just Ige reactions, but Igg as well), had vitamin and mineral deficiencies and the levels of their neurotransmitters were way off. They have gone gluten free, no sugar except birthday cake, off allergens, on mineral, vitamin and neurotransmitter support suppliments and life is SO much nicer. My older DS said that his Neuro support supplements were as good as taking ADHD meds with out any of the side effects. They all go to sleep and sleep well at night which is huge. We homeschool which makes individualized schooling easier. I say all this to tell you that there is hope out there. Don't give up. There is no one size fits all solution. Don't be discouraged. You will find something that works for you!!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I just wanted to say that I had friends with tourette's. Theirs was really bad, spouting bad languange at the most inappropriate moments and such. They were a married couple. They got thrown off an airplane once. They sued and won, but still...

I got to know them because of the spritual group I was in. Since we all got used to the tourette's, we got so we could laugh about some of the tics and ignored them most of the time. After a while, we all noticed that the tics became fewer and fewer. Then at one meeting they brought another friend with tourette's, and because our group was so accepting of the tics, she realized that she also had fewer tics while she was with us.
This was very enlightening to our friends. I share this, because as you say, your son doesn't have as many tics at home. It appears that stress makes them worse. So if your son can feel more accepted in the classroom, he will probably also have fewer tics and will be less disruptive.

 

[calendula]

Birdbrain, I've tried a lot of things concerning diet, but I've never actually tried going gluten free. I know there's lots of info on here about it, so I'll check into it. I'm hoping it's not too difficult!

FarmerDenise, you are right about his tics increasing with stress. I definately can see that when he is anxious, his tics increase dramatically. E told me last night that his art teacher got mad at him because he kept making his noise in his throat and he told her he had to, it was too hard to stop. I guess she said, "I know it's hard, but I need you to try." I would have thought his teacher would have given his art, music, and PE teachers a heads-up on the whole thing, but guess not.

When E first started having his tics, which was around age 4 or 5, I would mention them a lot just because I didn't realize what they were and was wondering about them. Once my husband and I stopped making a fuss over them, they eased a bit at home...except for when he's in trouble for something of course. Then his face is all blinking. You definately know when he is feeling stressed or upset, he can't hide it.

 

[lorihadams]

I've started to read to my kids while they swing on the swing set. They can't "go" anywhere, we get to go outside, and they still get to learn from books. Yesterday they begged me to keep reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was funny....sound carries like crazy on our hillside (no keeping secrets from the neighbors) and I'm sure they can hear me reading every day. They must think I'm nutso.

I'm glad the teacher was good about it...hopefully things will ease up a bit for everyone once the doctors get involved and the diet issues can be addressed.



Gluten free is only as hard as you make it. Just feed him food in its natural state and that way you don't have to read labels. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies, if he wants bread you can get the gluten free stuff but I find that it needs to be toasted before eating to warm it up a bit and make the texture better. There are lots of good gluten free recipes on here and there are lots of alternatives out there now. Don't do fast food either cause that is just a bad situation waiting to happen. I usually do salads if we go to a fast food joint.

 

[abifae]

Gluten free isn't difficult. The hard part: food when he goes to a friend's house.

Gluten free, cut processed, increase fats... can't really go wrong There are some diets I really worry about for kids, but escaping processed foods just isn't one of them. *laughs*

 

[calendula]

Yes, going to friends' houses AND being around my family. Most of my family (and my hubby's) are horrible eaters with a lot of weight/health issues. We already avoid most processed and refined stuff, but it's difficult at family gatherings because that's what a lot of people make to eat. Plus, they try to load the kids with sugar, and they all think we're being mean when we as parents say NO! Even at school it's hard because people bring treats in and they have snack every day, and a lot of times it's just junk like crackers and chips. But if we could at least get him eating this way for most of his meals, I would think it would help somewhat (I hope! ).

 

[abifae]

Definitely. The less junk the better. And you can often talk to teachers and supply snacks he CAN eat.... A lot of kids are going gluten free, so I think it is less an issue now than it would have been even five years ago.

In my SCA group (medieval reenactment), so many are low carb and/or gluten free that even at feasts, there are gluten free options. *laughs*

If he is mostly at a select group of friends' houses, you can leave snacks with those parents too. Sounds like family is going to be the worse since they are the least likely to listen to your rules.

 

[lorihadams]

My kids know that if I eat gluten it will make me sick. If you explain to him that it will make him sick, and then let him try it once to prove it, then maybe he will avoid it on his own....in theory

 

[BirdBrain]

That's what happened with my kids.