# How to help ds (7) stop an annoying habit



## lilgreen (Dec 5, 2003)

It started when Ds (7) had chapped lips and he would open his mouth wide and stretch out his bottom lip (sort of hard to explain). It has turned into a habit. He does it all the time now - several times per sentence as he speaks and it's driving my crazy. He seems to do it mainly when he's talking. I also figure it can't be good for him to stretch out his jaw like that so frequently.

It's been happening for close to two weeks now. I've been trying to gently remind him not to do it (I don't want to make him self-conscious about it), but that doesn't seem to help as he's been doing it more and more.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!


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## kkeake (Jun 5, 2006)

I don't want to be alarmist, but this is actually something I would talk to his doctor about. There was a little boy I knew growing up who did something like this - he would stretch his jaw out in a weird way constantly - and kids were very cruel to him, but I found out later he actually had something similar to OCD/tourette's - I can't remember what exactly it was. This sounds more like a compulsion than a habit. Especially if you've talked to him about multiple times and he still does it, I would definitely have it checked out.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I would totally let it go.

-Angela


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## LucyRev (Apr 20, 2003)

My DD had something similar a few months ago. She had a cold and the cough just stayed and stayed. Eventually it just became a habit. She would cough, sniff, cough, sniff...in a pattern. It drove me nuts. I talked to her about it. About how she used to have a cold and got used to sniffing a lot, but now the cold is gone and she just has a habit. I explained that it's loud and irritates other people. After that, when she did it, I asked if she needed a kleenex. When she did it again a few minutes later, I'd ask her again. Sometimes I would tell her she was sniffing a lot and it was bugging. She finally stopped, but it persisted for probably 2-3 months. I don't actually know when she quit, but thank goodness that is over!

2 weeks isn't too terribly long. Maybe give him some chapstick and tell him that should help it go away and hope the placebo effect will work. I don't understand why he would want to stretch out his lip when it's chapped. That sounds painful.


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## Theoretica (Feb 2, 2008)

It sounds more like a common tic.

My son has tourettes, among other things, and this is EXACTLY one of this tics.

Now, it's probably not actually tourettes, as tics are extremely common in this age range, especially in boys. They show up around 5-9 years old and last a year or two, then usually they just go away.

What you are describing would be classified a simple tic, as opposed to a complex tic. Tourettes is up for consideration when there is BOTH a simple tic AND a compound tic that are consistently present for AT LEAST six months. Compound tics involve physical/verbal combinations or gross motor compulsions with speech components. Throat clearing, coughing, blinking, barking/mewing, mouth stretching, arm extending, face stretching, knee bends, etc are all fairly common tics. It's when there are more than one lasting over six months that the concern sets in.

If it's just this simple tic it's probably going to go away within a year or so. Reminding him not to do it and him still doing it is a good indication it's a tic and not a 'bad habit'. Just as an FYI, feeling self conscious about a tic makes tics WORSE. It may also disappear and a new one might show up. Still nothing to worry about









As for 'what to say to other kids', the mouth stretching one is simple...he can say his jaw hurts and stretching makes it feel better.

My son had a tic for a LONG time that was a barking one (in addition to his 'blowfish' one, his eye blinking, neck jerking, foot stomping etc). I didn't realize it because he only had it under stress at school. That was an interesting phone call for sure..."Mrs. Theoretica, could we discuss an alternative approach to your son's barking during science class? It's disrupting the other students....again..."









He was 13 at the time, so not exactly a social magnet...poor kiddo!


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## OakBerry (May 24, 2005)

Give it a few weeks.
Ds had a throat clearing tic recently. He did it *constantly*. It lasted 3 weeks but now it has tapered off, thank goodness. Ignoring is the key, but it's tough. It's annoying!


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