Anyone experiencing a child licking?

[ajksmom]

My neighbors 9 year old son is doing this. He does have ADHD diagnosed but has recently started licking other kids. He just moved down here from MN where he lived with his dad. The dad took him off his Concerta which was working (because he doesn't believe in medicating). This problem was something that was started then and is continuing. His first day of school was yesterday and neighbor already had a conference call with principal and guidance counselor. She is at a loss as to why he is doing this. She is calling tomorrow to find a child psychologist to help them. I thought that maybe someone here might have some knowledge as to why this licking might be happening.

TIA

[Brenda]

Stephanie is 5 and I caught her licking the mouse on the computer.Maybe it is just an ADHD thing.

[Dakotah]

My son licks and sniffs a lot and I have no idea why. I haven't tackle this one yet Sorry I can't help.

[tomsmum]

Dear ajksmom,

Oh, I'm sorry, I laughed out loud!!

Yes, we do have a licker - and it made me laugh because we just had Tom's school conference and the teacher told us he (a first grader) had been "grossing out" the fifth grade girls who sit near him at lunch because he licks the table!!

At first it was himself, his hands and arms, then us, but we thought it had stopped - now he's moved on!!

We had a chat, explained it's inappropriate behaviour, hopefully it will stop. I think it was more because he got laughs from his classmates more than the need to lick the table - we shall see!!

[Brenda]

I have been doing some research and I think Stephanie may have a tic disorder.When she was 4 years old she used to pull at her panties all the time.She also used to hump on toys while going to sleep.Then at 5 years old while she was taking adderall she started twirling her hair and pulling the knots out forming a bald spot.Concerta 36 mg made her blink constantly.We tried Concerta 18 mg last week and she started shrugging her shoulders and moving her mouth a weird way.

[Dakotah]

I never thought about licking as a tic. My son licks himself, the floor- you name it. Tomsmum I am laughing out loud also! ;D

[Mayleng]

Tia, I think the sniffing is certainly a tic. The licking probably sort of a tic, but more like a compulsion, which are common when tics are present.

Movements and compulsions - occasionally stimulants will make people have what appears to be nervous tics as in Tourette's syndrome. At times these can be compulsive, such as new onset of nail biting, licking the hand, or having to touch certain things. Sometimes they get weirder than this like; kissing, skipping steps, washing hands etc...



Perhaps 30-50% of children will have this on stimulants to one degree or another. Many times the manifestations of tics and compulsions are hard to notice, therefore never even known about. These signs and symptoms are sometimes reversable when the medication is stopped. sometimes not. Everyone involved in the medical care of children with ADHD needs to be watchful for these. It is important to remember that even if this happens with one stimulant, it does not necessarily mean it is going to happen with a different stimulant.

[Mayleng]

PS

This link is an excellent and throrough list of tics. You all will probably be very surprised at how tics can manifest themselves. Maybe some of you have an odd behavior that this might explain. Of coarse any of thses actions can be normal, but if done over and over repeatedly for no apparent reason and the actions seem difficult NOT to do, even when told not to. you might have a tic on your hands.

crw.boxofclue.com/tsfun/ticlist.html

[kluv2jazz]

Millermom said:

PS

This link is an excellent and throrough list of tics. You all will probably be very surprised at how tics can manifest themselves. Maybe some of you have an odd behavior that this might explain. Of coarse any of thses actions can be normal, but if done over and over repeatedly for no apparent reason and the actions seem difficult NOT to do, even when told not to. you might have a tic on your hands.

I had to jump in here. Logan has always shook his hands (hand flapping). I was told it was part of his sensory integration disorder. Now I am beginning to wonder because it has gotten much less frequent with the addition of strattera. Maybe it is a tic?

[ajksmom]

Thanks for everybody's help, I will pass this information on to my friend. I have a son with ADHD also, but have never had any type of behavior like this. It's good to have a place where others can give info. based on knowledge and personal experience. I didn't even know where to begin on this one.

[Brian]

My ADHD son, who is now 13, went through a few separate phases of licking one palm afetr the other. He has been on micro-dose therapy for about four years and only took Ritalin for a brief spell before that. Since the licking went on over a long period during the last four years, it's probably not linked to medication (since we're all generalizing, I'll join in).

I never noticed at the time if the two things were in some way linked, but during the same period my son also developed marks on his tongue, like as if the surface had been removed in spots the size of an US dime. Perhaps the licking was really scratching these spots, who knows.

Anyway, there's another licker for your collection.

[swmom]

My child licks her hands, especially when she's anxious.
When she's on meds, however, specifically Strattera, this stops completely. When the med wears off, this returns immediately.

[swarmJAG]

My son went through a phase of licking people. I think he just thought it was funny. Luckily, he doesn't do it anymore.