Childhood Tics

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Expert Tips for Childhood Tics

Written by Dr Kaylene Henderson, Little Children Big Dreams

Does your child incessantly sniff? Have a cough with no cause? Twitch or blink for no reason? Then perhaps your child has a tic. But before you go checking his hairline for a small burrowing insect, read on for all you need to know about childhood tics.

Childhood tics are sudden, repetitive movements or sounds that your child feels like they have no control over. Tics often appear suddenly, most often in young, school-aged boys. They are common, affecting up to 25% of children at some stage, although some kids appear to be unaware of them. Tics also seem to run in families along with ADHD and OCD, suggesting a genetic link between these conditions.

Tics in children are divided into 4 categories:

  1. Simple motor tics: These movements are the most common tics in kids. Examples include eye blinking, facial grimacing or jerking movements of the body.
  2. Simple vocal tics: These simple sounds can include coughing, sniffing, throat clearing or grunting.
  3. Complex motor tics: These complex movements (which can look deliberate) include actions such as smelling objects, walking, twirling, jumping or mimicking the behaviour of others.
  4. Complex vocal tics: These are generally words or phrases although might be said out of context or in a way that echoes what has just been said.

Tics in kids can change over time. For example, a child who at first has an eye-blinking tic might have a facial grimacing tic instead a few weeks later. And while tics in children tend to occur many times each day, they can also come and go, disappearing for days or even weeks before returning.

While tics occur quite commonly in children, the percentage of kids who go on to have a chronic tic disorder is much lower. Diagnoses of Chronic Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder are made when children have had EITHER vocal or motor tics which have lasted for at least one year. Rarer still is Tourette’s Disorder in which children have had BOTH vocal and motor tics (although not necessarily at the same time) for at least one year. Compared with common childhood tics, only about 4-5 in 10,000 children will develop Tourette’s Disorder.

How you can help with your child’s tics:

While most kids with tics report that they have no control over them, occasionally children can suppress their tics for a few seconds or even minutes. Sometimes parents mistake this to mean that their child can stop their tics if they try hard enough. Unfortunately the attention, frustration and stress which sometimes accompanies this belief tends to make the tic worse.

Instead, it’s more useful early on to draw as little attention as possible to a child’s tic. Tics usually occur less often when the child is relaxed, absorbed in an interesting activity or asleep. In contrast, stress, fatigue, illness and boredom seem to increase tics for many children.

Other useful strategies include educating the child about tics, reassuring them that tics are common and often short-lived and teaching relaxation strategies to lower baseline levels of stress. Sharing information about a child’s tics with their friends and teachers can also be helpful.

For some children with persistent tics, a behavioural therapy technique known as ‘habit reversal therapy’ has been shown to be helpful. This involves teaching the child to become aware of the sensations that arise when a tic is imminent. Once the child has learned to identify these warning signs, they are taught to deliberately perform an alternative sound or action which appears more socially appropriate and which interrupts and reduces the tic. These techniques are usually taught by a Psychologist or Psychiatrist and are then practised at home.

When to seek help for tics in children:

While most tics in children will disappear as suddenly as they appeared, some will come back at times of stress. A small percentage of children with tics will go on to be diagnosed with a chronic tic disorder. Unfortunately there’s no way of predicting which of these future outcomes will eventuate.

If any of the following are present, seek the advice of your GP or Paediatrician:

  • if your child is particularly self-conscious, anxious, distressed or having difficulty functioning as a result of their tics
  • if your child’s tic has been present for longer than 12 months
  • if other symptoms are present. Childhood tics can also occur in the context of a genetic or neurological condition, as a side-effect of medication or following an infection.
  • if you’re worried. After all, parents know their children best and if you’re concerned, this is reason enough to seek expert advice.

Dr Kaylene Henderson

MBBS FRANZCP Cert C&A Psych

Dr Kaylene Henderson is a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and Founder of Little Children Big Dreams which provides online help for children who are scared of the dark or afraid of monsters –

Little Children Big Dreams offers personalized printable stories and parent guides to help children beat their fears of monsters or fears of the dark and sleep better at night. Parents are also invited to read Dr Kaylene Henderson’s blog on the Little Children Big Dreams website or to visit the Little Children Big Dreams Facebook page for helpful parenting tips and Child Psychiatry information.

 

2 Responses

  1. Valma Cronau

    When I was in grade 5 or 6 I started to sniff and do other things. I got teased by classmates and teachers for years about it. Even my own parents made fun of me. As I grew older I developed a few other things like blinking and although I got good at masking them I could not stop them. As a young aduly I was told I had turettes ( allbeit, mildly). This helped me to cope with it more easily. Only a few years ago, in my early 40’s i got to the point where I had to sort out my totally screwed up childhood of abuse. We realised that the tics started a the same time as the abuse and it still gets worse if I am stressed out. My 20yo daughter developed a couple of tics in her teenage years but was also under a lot of stress because she had chronic fatigue after contracting glandular fever. Now her tics only show up on the rare occasion and I am very happy about that. Mine however are still there and I doubt now if they will ever go because I will never totally get over what happened to me. I really thought it was interesting that they began the same time as the abuse.

    Reply
    • Lauren

      Thank you for sharing your story Valma. I hope you found Dr Kaylene’s article informative.

      Reply

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