Our son was diagnosed with TS back in 2001. So little was known about it then, that putting him on meds was litterally like shooting blindfolded. We have tried just about every antipsychotic(that's what they're categorized as) drug out there, and with every one, the side effects were too extreme. One word of advice. The 1st neurologist that we went to, put him on ORAP. STAY AWAY!!! It can do serious damage to the heart and the muscles around it. The 2nd doctor that we went to wanted to know if they had done an EKG on him to make sure that he didn't have previous heart problems. When I found out that it should have been the 1st thing that the 1st Dr. should have done, we were livid. Everything turned out fine, but only by the grace of God. 6 years of bullying later and NO DRUGS, he is so comfortable with himself that I have to feel like we are doing something right. The tics are still very prevelent, but being as he is 13 now, and very mature for his age, we left it up to him as to whether or not he wanted to continue with the Staterra. (Dr's last drug of choice). He chose to stop taking meds completely. It's very bad at times, but he deals with it better than we do.
When he started the 4th grade, I encouraged him to talk to the school psychologist and see about making up a presentation to do in front of his entire grade. He was thrilled to do it, and for the next 2 years, he was asked to make a presentation to the older grades in the elementary. The principal said he was the 1st child she had ever met, that had TS. She has been at that school for 20 years. I had no idea that encouraging him to do something that I thought was just going to make him more comfortable, along with the children in his class, would turn out to be something that would make him almost proud that he has it. He realizes that it DOES make him different, and the people who have special problems, often have more to offer society. 2 years ago, we moved to Wichita KS, and he had to start another new school. After being poked with needles on the bus, and being threatened by a child that "wanted a knife so he could "shut my son up", Tanner has insisted that he start off every year telling his classmates precisely what he has with no quams about it. He has that presentation down to a fine art now:) He has tons of friends, and has been voted by the students and the teachers, student of the year.
I have been told that with puberty setting in, it will either get better, or progressively get worse. Whatever God decides we can handle, we will deal with, until then, we just pray that his attitude towards it, continues to not let it stop him. He's very active in soccer, cross-country and many other sports, so don't let anyone tell you that it will impede their performance.
Interesting side bar---we have horses, and I have recently been made aware of a study that has been done on kids with TS and Equine therapy. I have been doing it with him for about the last 4 months, and the tics have drastically declined. It's amazing. It supposedly teaches them balance, concentration, and many other traits that help them control the tics. I don't know the specifics about the study, but if you want to e-mail me, I can find out for you. Or you might just search under Equine therapy for Tourettes Syndrome. niesaj@hotmail.com
Does your child rage, scream and kick doors? Is his or her behavior the typical brattiness of a spoiled child, or involuntary behavior beyond the child's control? Dr. Phil sheds light on a pair of widely misunderstood extreme neurological disorders. First, he looks at Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism which can cause a person to lack control over his or her emotions, including anger. Rich and Karen's 15-year-old son, Alex, was diagnosed with Asperger's at age 6. His sudden fits of rage and erratic behavior have put a strain on his whole family. Should his parents be afraid of Alex, or is there something they can do to bring his behavior under control? Plus, Craig, 37, can't control his physical tics, nor can he keep from constantly uttering obscenities, literally hundreds of times a day. Craig suffers from Tourette syndrome, an affliction that's gotten so bad, he won't go into grocery stores, movie theatres or any public place for fear he'll be kicked out. What will the disorder mean for his plans to start a family? Talk about the show here.
