Strange (But Cute) Hand Activity

D.: My husband does the same thing if he scratches his head with one hand the other one goes too. It has always been that way it bothered him when we first met so I would try to hold the opposite hand still but it would still do it but when he was little the doctors didnt seem worried about it and he is 58 So wouldnt worry about it.

P.

Could be a tic, not a big deal and common with boys and with kids his age. Both my boys had tics and they still come and go. Go ahead and remind him if he would like to break the habit. They can control it but it takes everybody working together positively. Enjoy him and remind him we all have some physical challanges and they don't disappear overnight but with gentle perservance he can make a difference he will be pleased with. (As I sit here instead of exercising!)

It's great that he has this trigger. He can actually use it when he is in situations where he's nervous or insecure because the action has been programmed to happiness. If he wants to change it, he just needs to find some other trigger like maybe grabbing one finger or flicking the fingers on one hand (my daughter 19 mo does this). Then whenever he notices he is doing the flicking motion, he just has to do the other.

It really is a plus for him later on in life if he learns how to use it. :)

It doesn't sound like something to be concerned about. We all have little "ticks". I would ask the Dr. next time you take him in for his annual check-up.

My 14 year old daughter has had two "tics" since she was about 2 years old. One of them she rarely does anymore -- flapping her hands any time she gets excited (whether it be excitement due to happiness, nervousness, etc.). The other habit, which she has learned to contain only to the privacy of our home, is that she does this run/skip/gallop around the house whenever she is thinking creatively (which is frequently!). For some reason she thinks better on the move. I've sometimes thought to ask her doctor about this, but I've read articles which indicate that some kids learn better "on the move" vs. being stationary (such as in a classroom environment) and so I decided to leave it be.

I've noticed recently that my 2-year old occasionally flaps her hands as her big sister used to do, triggered by excitement (such as when she's allowed to watch a favorite DVD). I'm not concerned, knowing that her big sister eventually outgrew it.

my little brother shook his hands at his side when he was thinking or excited. i think this is normal. my bro did it for a LONG time. the problem comes in that he wants to stop...did someone say something to him? i dont know what to tell you about that except trying to substitute a behavior in its place....as for the hand gesture i think its normal and ok....and i would agree that its cute! :) ha sorry i wasnt much help....

Our son does the same thing. He says it is his imagination and does it when he is excited. My M-I-L says it is nerves. He also tells me that he does know when he is doing it and can control it. When I see him start I call his name and he stops. I haven't talked to his Dr. because I am not sure there is anything to it. I have wondered if it is a form or Tourettes (sp?). I usually read the site but this is the first time I have commented. It will be interesting to see what others have to say.
R.

It could be just a simple childhood tic that he will grow out of. My son has a tic and he had several others that he grew out of. He has been evaluated and is normal...no asperger's or tourette's.

I'd mention it to your ped at your next visit just to be on the safe side.

People are so quick to jump to the worst case scenario when it could turn out to be nothing at all.

I am a former teacher, and I had one student over thevyears do this exact hand motion, but usually when he was stressed like during a test or while doing homework. (7th grade). He was diagnosed OCD and learned to do it under his desk so as to not draw attention to himself. That doesn't mean your son is OCD, but that's just what I experienced.

My youngest brother who is happily married, and getting his phd in polymer science (and TOTALLY normal) always did this weird twisting thing with his hair when he was younger - up until way older than your son. He would twist it and then touch the top of it. It would make his hair stick up like Dennis the Menace, and my brothers and I were really mean to him (now that I look back, lol). He would do it when he was concentrating or watching tv or whatever. I wouldn't worry too much. Hopefully he'll be able to tone it down as he grows older.

It sounds like a "old habit" that can be broken. Just like biting your nails, he probably can stop, but doesn't even realize he is doing it. I would try to come up with a plan with him to break the habit. My four year old use to do a similar thing when she was frustrated, I would tell her to stop with the hands before I would talk to her. After constant reminders, we rarely see the "hands" anymore. Hope that helps!

It's better than sucking his thumb. It's probably just a little habit. You might try replacing it with a less obvious habit. If you think he's old enough, you could give him a ring to wear and teach him to twist the ring instead. He will probably grow up to be one of those who jingles his keys in his pocket. It just means he's high energy. It is probably a sign of a higher IQ as well.

I wouldn't worry about it. Peer pressure will take care of it eventually.

AFTER READING THE OTHER RESPONSES, LET ME ADD THE DEFINITION OF MENTAL ILLNESS (ALL KINDS) INCLUDES THAT THEY ARE SEVERE ENOUGH TO INTERFERE WITH DAILY LIFE FUNCTIONS. A DOCTOR WOULD NOT TREAT HIM FOR THIS UNLESS IT GETS TO THE POINT WHERE HE IS SO TEASED THAT HE WON'T GO TO SCHOOL, THAT THERE'S SEVERE EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, ETC.

Good Luck

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys (One who twists his hair and one who pushes on his ears)

I'm not a doctor but I agree it's likely "something", either OCD or Tourette's, based on the fact that he says he'd like to stop but can't. Also, my brother does that EXACT thing! It does not affect anything negatively in his life (he's a successful ENT/plastic surgeon) but I know tourette's runs in the family bc my nephew has been diagnosed (his tics are more noticable/weird). Also, my mom has a few weird ones too (she always runs her thumb down her index finger, hard to describe). My nephew isn't being treated for it because it doesn't bother him and he has friends and the negative side effects (or unknown potential side effects) of the drugs weren't worth it to them. vHe said it's embarrassing: is it embarrassing because you brought it up or are other kids teasing him? I would have him checked out, but if it's not affecting his life negatively (meaning the other kids aren't making fun of him, he's social, etc.) I probably wouldn't treat it. . Also, these types of disorders seem to be associated with very intellegent people so it's not surprising your child gets such good grades. . . Good luck!

Doesn't sound like a big problem. But I'm just a mom who had interesting kids!

My son, soon to be 21 y/o, did funny things with his hands and walked around when talking. He still does that kind of thing - but he's no dummy - somehow having funny tics didn't keep him from earning a full scholarship to a local university.

My 17 y/o daughter and I were sitting here watching a library dvd about the brain. I made her pause it and I read her the response about the 14 y/o/g who flapped her hands when excited and ran around when young. We both burst out laughing - that's exactly what she did when she was young! Exactly! What a hoot!

I tend to jiggle my foot/leg - now THAT tic drives a lot of other people crazy. My niece shreds the skin on her fingers. that's a bad one! My husband pulls on his mustache. What is normal? "Normal is just a setting on the dryer..."

Have fun, enjoy life. :)

A.

You didn't mention if other kids had mentioned it to him. If not, then the more you talk about it , the more he is going to be concerned he is doing something weird. I would just completely ignore it and if he brings it up, I would say, "I'm not worried about it. You can do it if you want."

It could be a form of tourettes. I don't mean to scare you, but you just described my best friend. She flicks her fingers when she is nervous, happy, etc. She was also a straight A student, even through law school, active in sports, loves to play games, probably one of the smartest people I know, and one of the best Moms I know. Since it is such a mild form of tourettes she doesn't need to be medicated. She still does it, but not nearly as often as when she was younger, and it's never held her back from anything.

I think we all do things instinctually when something makes us really happy. I tend to squeal and shake my hands in the air. (sometimes I even jump up and down). I know that I do it, but I've never wanted to stop doing it because it's just my natural reaction, much like crying when something upsets me, or banging my fists on a surface because I'm frustrated. My question to you is - did he notice that he does it before you said anything to him, or did he decide after you pointed it out that it's embarrassing and now he wants to stop? I think you should reassure him that it's normal for your body to react certain ways to certain emotions. Be glad that it's a happy reaction and that he's not a child who hurts himself or others when he is angry.

I like Jodi D's suggestion.

My son has Asperger's and he has tics that he does which we've had to find options for... and for him, we just gave him an alternative to what he was used to doing.

In your case, he might try putting a pencil in his hand all the time and then when he's happy he can just shake the pencil between his fingers like he's doing a baton twirl or something. Then he'll just look hyper, which many people are, so he won't stick out.