3 1/2 Year Old Frequently Blinking

My nephew did the eye blinking when he was younger and doesn't do it now. It was a nervous/stress related tic. His mom would notice it way more after he had been playing video games.

My son had the same thing and the doctor said it was because his eyes were dry from his allergies. I was worried about it, but it seems to have gotten better with time.

Hi L.
I dont want to freak you out more than you already are and im truly sorry if I do... You should have your little guy checked for seizures that may be what is causing the freq. eye blinking. i could be wrong...just a sugesstion.

Here is a sight u can look into and maybe rule out seizuers:
yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/seizures-in-children.html

May God Bless you and your family...
Keep us posted.

My husband had similar symptoms at the same age (rapid blinking, slurred speech) and it ended up being a brain tumor (astrocytoma) that had to be removed surgically. I don't mean to alarm you, but if it is a tumor, it's going to be important to get an MRI ASAP. He's fine now but at that age the earlier you get it taken care of the greater the chances the brain will heal well. May God bless you, and I hope it is just an allergy.

At 3 and a half, the Moms are all right. It could be any combo of things, but also do not rule out Tourette's Syndrome. My son began exhibiting the blinking at about 4 years old, and it escalated into grunts, snorts, nose-wrinkling, eye-rolling and a host of other symptoms.
We disregarded most of the warnings because my husband said they were just "habits" and he had the same habits when he was growing up! RED FLAG! Tourette's is inherited, and often affects boys more than girls! My husband had it all his life, and was never properly diagnosed until after my son was diagnosed.
We still didn't accept the diagnosis, and had my son tested for 2 solid years before we ever gave him medicine, which took away his appetite, creativity, and made him a sad, moody mess. It is a Neurological disorder, and certain meds, like Ritalin, can increase the tics and make the tics uncontrollable and/or irreversible. We learned this in our research and refused to give him the drugs which could exacerbate the tics.
The tics will increase during new situations, times when the child is forced to be still for long periods, especially at school; any change in routine, and during stressful times, such as during a baseball game, i.e., batting or trying to catch a hit ball.
We had top neurologists back east, refused to be told he must be medicated in school, managed his diet and sleep, and specialists said he could outgrow the tics by age 16.
We bless God. He did outgrow them completely by age 17.
Stay proactive and do your homework, and seek wise counsel, and your son will prevail,too.
This, and the brain tumor are probably the more serious issues, so don't let doctors talk you out of repeated testing each year, especially when you observe changes. Moms still know best, when something's not quite right...

You are asking 2 questions. And they might not be related. My middle started this blinking recently too and I think it's allergies. She's fine otherwise, just dry eyes.

Speech tends to clear up as kids get older, by elemntary they should be speaking clearly. If speech was good and now ALONG with the blinking is regressing that's a different issue and you need to talk to your pedi ASAP.

My son did this off and on for a year or so when he was 2. I think it is called a transient tic. From what I read and what are pediatrician said they are normal in most kids and can include eye blinking, nose scrunching, and mouth noises (like repeatedly clearing throat, etc.) Most kids will grow out of them. I think they are more common in boys to. From what I read, you aren't supposed to call attention to it but it can be more pronounced when they are stressed or in an uncomfortable situation. Google it and you'll get tons of info.

Definitely mention it to your pediatrician but it totally sounds like what my kiddo did. Good luck!

My son blinks alot and started at age 7 or 8, I got his eyes checked and his eyesight is off but enough to have him wear glasses. I just make sure I get him yearly exams to keep up with it.

Get his eyes checked out by an optomotrist to rule out vision issues. I remember when my neighbor's son was ~ 4 years old that he would blink especially when sitting in front of the TV. (Kids don't know to "squint" to make images come in clearer.)

If the vision is okay, then I'd investigate the allergy route. Just don't let the vision go too long...

L.,

At this age your pediatrician should be able to do a basic assessment on both eyes and ears (kelsey seybold has a sound box they put the kids in with a button to push..). I agree with Tiffany. You should call your pedi and get an appointment ASAP. This could be a transient tic or it could also be (not to scare you) a sign of minor seizures. Better to be pro-active than to put it off and have more problems in the future!

I could usually understand my son at that age, so it wasn't until he went to mothers day out and the teachers couldn't that we realized there was a problem. The school district tested him, and then helped him for 30 minutes a week with articulation. I think they can do the testing starting at age 3. My son's vocabulary was amazing (symptom of Asperger's), but there were some sounds he couldn't say like f,s,z,ch,tr, so he'd substitute H for all of them. I have a funny memory of one time in the car he said he wanted to go to "hanka-hanka". I couldn't figure out what he meant but my husband knew instantly that he meant San Antonio! The speech teachers at the elementary school really helped with this.
It took a couple of tries to test his hearing-either he wouldn't sit still for the test or he had a cold with fluid in his ears. When we finally got his hearing tested accurately, it was fine.
Has your son had lots of ear infections? Because that can slow down speech development.

I couldn't understand my 3 YO and her ears checked out fine. I took gluten/wheat out of her diet and we can understand her now! You might try that. For some kids, especially those on the autism spectrum, gluten turns into a morphine in their bodies and causes speech problems.

blinking could also be a neurological problem (as is autism.)
S.

i notice that kids who go to daycare speak better than kids that stay at home. it all seems to pan out by elementary school. i would definatly have his eyes checked. btw i think if we did it all in one go it would be too stressful for the little ones but wouldnt it be much eaiser/ quicker for us!

I'd talk to his pediatrician about your concerns.

It could be allergies/hayfever, and if he is congested it could be affecting his hearing/speech.... Hard to say what it is without getting him checked out.

Hi L.,
this could be from dry eye- or sunlight- or allergies- or none of the above. The inability to pronounce words at that age is not that all alarming- some children are just a little slower than others- but I would definitely have both his eyes and ears checked.
I suspect if you detox your home and use eco friendly products for your house cleaning and laundry some of these issues may disappear.
good luck and blessings

Hi, I wanted to ask you if your son plays video games/play station/game cube or other types of video/t.v. games or even computer usage? My 8yr old nephew had been playing all kinds of these games since he was 3 for prolonged periods of time. I noticed he started stuttering, slurring speech and blinking his eyes constantly. I asked my sister about it and she said he had "dry eyes" and left it at that. Shortly after I was visiting my sister again and happened to notice that my nephew played these games for long periods of time without any breaks in between. I also found a warning for the "game cube" which warns against playing for long periods, it also mentions some signs to look for which were: blinking, and possibly speech impairment. This may/may not be your sons case. My nephew continues to stutter, slur speech, and blink his eyes; these damages are irreversible.

M. G.