Hello,
I suspect that my seven year old has Tourette Syndrome. We have an appointment with a pediatric neurologist set up at the end of July. What can we expect at the first appointment? All the person told us on the phone was that it would be a consultation, and they would not draw blood.

Hello Ims,

I think what to expect might be different depending on if the doctor is familiar with TS, and is able and willing to go through the process of diagnosing it.

For me, and most of us, our first stop was the 'family' doctor and no one thought it might be TS so like many of us we ended up going to several doctors, specialists, having tons of tests done before finally we were referred to a Tourette Syndrome Specialist (upon the request of my mother to our doctor). By the time we went to see the specialst it was a blessing just to have her NOT tell me to stop. She was very nice, and informative and talked to my parents about what is involved with TS and its diagnosis.

She asked my parents to videotape me so she could see me in my 'normal' environment ticing. We had to travel out of state to see her so that may have been because we were not able to see her often (I wouldn't know I was the kid). I remember her asking me how I felt and cared about me - not like the rest who talked to my parents and sometimes at me.

Depending on the doctor you are seeing they may want to cross off some other things first. Make sure you ask about Tourettes and see if he is familiar with it - and if not does he know anyone in your area? Just my 2 cents.

Ims,
I was diagnosed as an adult but my first consultations included going over my history of symptoms, and some simple motor skills tests, and ruling out other possible issues. It was pretty easy on me.

Thanks for the feedback! We are going to see a TS doctor (Dr. Duda at Hershey Medical Center). We're bypassing our pediatrician entirely as we're pretty sure that it's TS. Videotaping is an interesting idea... Maybe I'll take some video before we go. We have to drive a ways, so I'd like to prepare as much as possible for this first visit. Anybody else willing to share their experiences?

Um, I just wanted to add that as the child I HATED being video taped. I was sharing my experiences but honestly, every time that camera was pointed at me i felt very very uncomfortable.

I mean, as much as we hate getting stared at by kids, being stared at by a camera felt much worse.

From what I have read, videotaping the child in secret is the best way to do this if it is imperative to the diagnosis, as having the camera on them, as NRyan said, will only make them uncomfortable and therefore the child may suppress the tics and you will not get an accurate video tape, as he will not be "in his natural environment" as he knows the video camera is there.

My children saw a child psychiatrist to get their diagnosis. She did some neurological type testing but that was it. I saw a neurologist and they gave me an MRI, drew blood, and general neurological testing, too (touching nose, checking reflexes etc). I can see that video would be really helpful.

hello on the first visit the doctor will talk with your son and observe his behavior and he will be watching for tics to come out and he will ask him several question. once he determines it is TS then he will figure out the severity of the tics and then issue meds for it. that is all that happen to me the first visit. I hope this helps

You cannot be diagnosed in the first visit the DSM4 requires a period of 1 year diagnosis by a doctor before it can be diagnosed as Tourette Syndrome (officially)..... But un officially they can tell you they believe it is TS.

I was diagnosed by three different doctors after one visit. The last one was to a psychiatrist who deals with neurological disorders. I had to fill out a 100 page questionnaire that when over every detail of my life and TS.

Well in another post you had mentioned living outside the USA so perhaps that has something to do with it. Here, doctors use the DSM4 to diagnose Tourette Syndrome and if you look it up on another site you will see a 12 month requirement before official diagnosis.

Personally, it seems excessive to me. I remember having to wait 12 months before I could get any meds from my doctor (who was a tourette specialist) and even after the second or 3rd visit she told my parents she was sure I had it, she said she had to wait the full 12 months before she could legal presribe me any medication. The 'wait time' seems to long to me because some people need help managing their tics faster. So I'm not trying to just argue it is just odd to me that it would be so different in Canada.

Tourette Syndrome is not an excuse for misbehavior. He is still responsible for his behavior even when he cannot help it. This sounds tough, but sometimes it is not easy to distinguish what causes what. I found a chore/behavior chart on the fridge with positive reinforcements, like stars, and a reward at the end of the day ( and at the end of the week for a total of so many stars) to be helpful.

A few basic, but fundamental house rules that are to be followed with consequences for infractions in a consistent manner. Time out in his room without luxuries, to think about his behavior and to write an apology for his infraction, followed by an extra chore, also helps. The key here is consistency. More daily positive reinforcements than negative comments, is also helpful.

Best Regards.
Mike Rogers

you are right Mike i have found that some kids try to hide bad behavior behind TS. Just make sure you can notice which is which.