Tics

My son is having a bad tic week; yesterday, while we were buying groceries, the tics were so bad that he was in pain. This also was the first time I have seen him have big, jerky tics -- the kind that draw the attention of the most inattentive passers-by. Most of the time, O looks like a very, very fidgety kid, but this was an entirely different level of intensity.

The tics were distressing for O, but at the same time it was interesting to observe how aware he is of the cycles of his tics. He told me that every two to three months, he experiences a week when his tics are much worse than usual. During this week, the tics will be disruptive and often painful, but he knows that their intensity will subside again after a few days. I think recognizing what is happening, even if O does not know why it is happening, makes it easier to accept the bad days.