Zak shakes

[admin]

I know there are many types of epilepsy and I know what excitment is but my son either does an abnormal excitement shake or something is wrong here. He shakes when presented food or a bottle just like one might get excited but I have a 5 year old and I taught school and never have seen kids do this. His whole body when sitting tenses up and his fists are clenched and he just shakes, sometimes alot. Can someone ease my mind or is this a problem? Otherwise he is fine yet all over the place!

[phaliscak]

I don't think I will make you feel better because I don't remember what it is called, but I have seen this condition before on TV. Her child did the same thing with the fists clenched, sun light and very sensative to touch and sound. It was if the childs sensory nerves were extra extra sensative. See what the Dr. says. Hopefully you just have a very happy little eater, but it's always best to get it checked out. I hope you find out what's going on.

Patty

[admin]

I will reply to this post by starting off by saying that this is something you need to talk to your doctor about b/c nobody here can tell you what is wrong with your child, if anything at all.
After working in special Ed for several years I have seen this type of behavior in autistic children.
How old is Zak?
This sometimes takes up to 4 years for doctors to diagnose.
I am going out on a limb by saying this, but since it can be important to know, I thought I would tell you that this is common in an autistic child.
Hope you find out what is going on soon. Please remember that it may be nothing at all!
Good luck!
~Krista~

[Heather B]

My daughter does something that sounds very similar, but she does it when she's both excited and angry/frustrated. We've just always called her "intense". (When she was young and still breastfeeding, she would scream when she was finished eating!!)

When she does this, she clenches her fists, her body gets really stiff & she shakes....she also does this strange moan/internal scream thing. She has done this for as long as I can remember (she's 18 mo. now). I never saw a reason to be concerned as she'll look right at you and do it (maintains eye contact) and she can stop it. It just seems to be part of her personallity. Does your son seem to have control over this or does it seem to be involuntary? If it's something that triggers your "mommy radar", I would definately talk to your dr about it.

I'm sure that you all think I have a strange child now. It's actually kind of funny when she does it. I don't know if that helps or not, but thought I'd share our experience with a child that is somewhat intense.

Heather

[admin]

My son is very smart and does things that other 11 month kids cannot do. He has a super attention span. He grunts to though and "UGH" like he demands something. I will ask doc

[admin]

I am curious to know if you found a name for this or the reason(s) why this happens. I am a returning student in the process of obtaining my masters degree in psychology. I did this "shaking" as a child and have been trying to find a name or term that would lead to information about it. I have clear recollection of how it felt and I can mock it at will today (AND, I am 41 yrs old!) I don't think it is uncommon because I have heard people refer to it over the years. My mother told me that I did this when I saw a bright color or or things that stimulated me visually. I would say that is a form of over-sensitivity to something which induces the feeling of over-stimulation. I don't remember the shaking or stiffening as being unpleasant but I do remember feeling of being over taken by it. I can see how one might want to relate it to epilepsy or autism, though I doubt there is a relationship. I think it stopped in between 2 and three...I remember standing up while doing it. I would say that I developed normally from all developmental theortic perspectives (or the ones I have read to date.) I am visually creative, i.e. I have been in artist for over twenty years. I hope this personal information sets your mind at ease. If you find a name for this I would appreciate if you would email it to me. Thanks! Yvonne

[Shannon03]

My son does this too. From birth I said that he was a high needs baby. He started doing this at 4 months old and has not stopped. The action looks a little different now that he is almost four. For him it happens when he environment is too stimulating. He is quite shy and is not comfortable in large groups. Just the other day we were at a birthday party at MY GYM and when everyone moved over to open the gifts he got really uncomfortable and ran over to me saying, "Mommy I'm scared, too many people". So, I am very sensitive to his needs and make sure that when he is in an intense environment to be close at hand so to support him and hopefully he will learn better to deal with these situations. I would love to know a name for this if anyone figures it out.
Thanks,
Shannon

[admin]

My son did this sort of thing for a little while, too. He gradually stopped doing this, but I would definately talk to your doctor about it. It is so much better to be safe than sorry. They did an EEG, which was very easy for him, on him and it turned out normal, but told me if it was some sort of seizures they want to take care of it right away before it starts causing other problems. I also know of someone who this happened to for about two monts after Botox injections.

[claudia]

Shannon:

What your son is experiencing is called "visual defensiveness". It goes hand in hand with "auditory defensiveness." These are sensory issues. You should discuss them with your OT and see if she is trained in SID treatment.

Juliana has this problem. We have desensitized her a great deal, but she still does not enjoy loud, crazy birthday parties. She even goes off into a corner with a book when she is in school and things get too loud and busy for her.

I hope it helps,
claudia

[Shannon03]

Claudia, just emailed you-thanks!
Shannon