[blindkid] Social behavior

[Carly B]

Hi Erin,

We are in a very similar situation. Our son, now 9, is legally blind and
since we adopted him at age 5 he has had movements that are not typical of
children his age. He swings his head back and forth with his face lifted
upward and eyes closed, he does and "arm straightening" motion (not sure if
it's like the one you describe, but he has his own) as well as some other
rocking and tipping behaviors. He was in mainstream Kindergarten for two
years (the first to learn the language, the second for academics) but since
First grade he's been at the academy for the blind in our state.

Last summer he started saying, "DUH!" over and over and I started wondering
if he had a tic of some kind. I don't mean the kind of "duh" like, "oh, duh,
that's dumb" but a "duh" that was short and staccato and almost just the
sound of the d. He would do it over and over in a burst and I could tell, a
bit uncontrolled and without thinking or planning, if that makes sense... it
just happened. Then I did a little searching on Tourette's and I saw on
YouTube kids with Tourette's and they were doing some of the exact same
motions... particularly the arm straightening thing. (He has largely stopped
saying "duh!" but he still does it occasionally. It was apparently a summer
tic. :)

I haven't had him in to his pediatrician but years ago when we first got him
she had mentioned that tics in children are fairly common. She said they
often come and go, lasting 6 months or more. There's no rhyme or reason,
they just happen. I don't know if your son has a tic of some kind, I don't
even know if mine does, but I know that nothing we have tried to say or do
have helped, just waiting it out seems to.

I have simply told him that other kids don't do those things, and that when
he does, the other kids notice and he needs to know that. I think because of
his low vision and inability to see other people in the room (although he
knows they are there) he does not realize, first of all, what behaviors are
typical and which ones are not, and also, he doesn't realize that they are
looking at him. Especially because by his age, kids have become discreet
enough just to make side glances. And he doesn't realize this at all.

So I guess I don't really have any good answers or suggestions but I will be
interested to hear what others say.

Thanks for the question!

:) Carolynn Barnes


On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 7:51 AM, Erin Teply <eteply at cfl.rr.com> wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
> I am some questions around social behavior (at least I think that is the
> best description!).  My son Max, is 5 and in mainstream kindergarten.  He
> has some 'blindisms' as I call them or some different social behaviors when
> he gets excited.  He tends to rock his body back and forth and sort of do a
> strange 'arm-straightener' thing when he gets excited or really wants to say
> something.  We see this at home in just these cases and I believe the same
> at school, but because he has to 'sit still' so much more at school, I think
> the behaviors are more pronounced and/or more often.  I have a meeting
> tomorrow with his OT and mobility teacher on what we can do to replace or
> minimize these behaviors.  As we all know, you simply can't tell the child
> to *stop* this because then they think, "well then what?".  How have some of
> you dealt with this type of thing?  I think the main concern from his OT
> that this is socially not acceptable.  Any thoughts are appreciated.
>
> Thank you,
> Erin Teply
>
>
>
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