Calendula - Son may have Tourette's

[rathbone]

lorihadams, I know what you mean about reading with your son and moving. My little guy will jiggle the whole time, and of course he will make his sounds because of his tics. But, he wanted me to read JRR Tolkein's The Hobbit to him, and I was pleased to find that even though he is always squirming and making his sounds, he is listening and following the story, and he loves it.

I think that's part of what the teacher doesn't get. Yes he's moving and making sounds, but he is still listening and learning. But, then it goes back again to him disrupting the rest of the class, and making it so that they can't learn. So, I understand how his teacher gets frustrated, but he just can't help it. Depending on what happens after this appt. with the nuerolgist and how the rest of the year goes, I think you are right, we are going to have to figure out some way to make homeschooling work. I just can't take seeing him so sad anymore, and I worry about permanent effects to his self esteem.

hillfarm, I am glad if my post can help! There is a lot of info about Tourette's on the web. I read that most kids eventually "grow out of it," which is a big relief! I hope everything works out for you!

I am in the education field. I am going to make a few suggestions and you use what fits you.
One of the golden rules is that each child be educated in the least restrictive environment. If they try to put your son into a different classroom on the grounds that he is disrupting the other children's learning - you are allowed to point out that moving him would not be the least restrictive environment. They are really only allowed to move him if he is physically hurting other children.
Another thing that I like to start my conversations with teachers is this: "I am naturally feeling a little sensitive about my child and his behavior. I am going to ask you to do a favor for me. Since you and I talk often about my son's behavior - I hear a lot of negatives. I am going to ask that for every negative thing you point out about my child, please tell me a positive also". This will not only help you as a parent - it will put your teacher in the mode of looking for positives.
More than anything else -please inform yourself, educate yourself, edify yourself. You are your child's advocate. There is help out there that you would never dream of. It is a lot of work, but you need to understand the law. Schools will naturally push around parents that don't know their rights...schools often don't even realize the parents have such rights.
And I guess lastly, approach your teacher with the attitude that the two of you are a team trying to do what is best for your child. Let the teacher know that you trust her, that you are relying on her to go above and beyond the call of duty to help him get an education alongside all the other children that are easy to teach. Look her in the eyes, touch her arm and appeal to her. Teachers are usually desiring to help people. It may help her to reach deep down and find more inside herself to give.
edited to add: Do you have an iep for him? If not, look into a 504 plan.
Regarding your reading of the Hobbit: my sons move like crazy. Someone else here mentioned it earlier but - I let them move. I laugh when I tell the story of how we were doing our nightly reading and I got a black eye. My sons seriously do ninja moves while I am reading. One did a flip onto the couch and kicked me in the eye. I had a black eye for two weeks. It wasn't funny at the time but now I can laugh about it. These are MY kids and they are not just like everyone else's kids. This is going to be a hard row to hoe so to speak, but I bet your son is going to grow up to be an amazing person.

 

[Farmfresh]

I also have a LOT of experience in the education field with children that have behavior disorders ... including Tourette's Syndrome. Also my neighbor, who happens to make LOTS of money as an electrical engineer these days, has Tourette's. At this point it will seem like a tall mountain to climb, but this is a problem that CAN be ... if not conquered - at least tamed. You son can lead a full happy and mostly normal life and still have TS! You needed to hear that.

I agree with trying diet changes. Try to avoid things like red dye, gluten, and other things that are known to be "reactors". Henrietta23 has lots of experience with the elimination diet stuff and would be a good one to talk to. I also want to add a plug for modern medicine. No it is not for everyone. Yes I MUCH prefer to avoid it if possible... BUT for some children a low dose of the proper well monitored medication can make their life much much smoother. Childhood can be hard enough.



We are here if you need a sounding board.

 

[calendula]

Thank you everyone for the advice and your kind words. I'm really sad about the problems some have been having on the forum lately...even I got a warning. I have enjoyed so much talking to everyone! I have learned so much from this forum, and made some nice online friends. I thought about leaving like some others...but I don't know that I will, I guess I will just see how it goes. I'm not the kind of person who normally "gets in trouble," so it was a bit off-putting I guess. This is such a great resource to come to when I have a question (I mean, there are even people here who know about Tourette's ), and always a kind ear to listen, so I think I will stick around and see what happens for a bit anyway.

So, I took E to the neurologist this morning, and he was officially diagnosed with Tourette's and possible ADHD and OCD. More so the ADHD than the OCD though. The doctor is going to draft a letter that she will send to my son's school outlining the diagnosis and explaining that the tics are not something he can control (completely). The goal is to have his teachers educated about Tourette's so that they don't keep scolding him for making his sounds and stuff. She also said that I should meet with the teacher and principal to set up an IEP, so that will be coming up in the future.

I have decided to stay away from the meds--for now--and go with some behavioral stuff and diet changes first. If it doesn't seem to help or he gets worse, maybe we'll look into meds a bit more. The dr. also wants me to meet with a neuropsychologist to discuss some behavioral things that we can do at home and school to help E do better. I have health insurance luckily, but am still concerned with the costs of this. Of course I'll do whatever I can to help my boy, but I do worry about money too. I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now, not knowing much about Tourette's yet and this IEP stuff, but I know that we will get through this.

Well, tonight, I've got a bunch of pumpkin pie pumpkins to cook and puree. I'm going to freeze the pumpkin in small batches for baking and maybe I'll try making some pumpkin soup...the rest of the family wasn't too sure about that one though!

My enormous tomato harvest is finally dwindling, as I have been processing a little here and there every chance I get. I think I'm down to a couple dozen now. I will be so glad when I never have to touch a tomato again...well until next fall at least.

The husband is headed to Minnesota tonight to visit an old friend, so it will be just me and the boys. I must admit that I am looking forward to the alone time I'll get after the boys go to bed! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

 

[lorihadams]

Hi honey, I'm glad you know now....that's a relief in a way just to know. It doesn't make it any easier, I'm sure but at least now you can find out what needs to be done.

 

[framing fowl]

Hope you had a nice evening last night with some time for just you!