My Son Has A Tic
Children sometimes have nervous tics that often coincide with tests or other stressful situations. We don’t have to worry because most of these tics resolve spontaneously before reaching adolescence.
In addition, they usually disappear without requiring any treatment. They are also usually related to some situation of anxiety or change that is affecting them. The arrival of a little brother or return to school may be some of these circumstances. If the situation persists for more than a year we will have to consult with the specialist.
What we should never do is scold the child when he has a tic. If we get angry with him, the only thing we will achieve is to increase his anguish. The child will feel that he is doing something wrong and the tic will surely persist.
The less importance we give it, the sooner it will disappear. Parents must reassure the child and not give importance to the problem. The best thing is to pretend it doesn’t exist and it will subside little by little.
Some tips to overcome a tic
The first thing parents have to do is ignore tic. If you reproach him or ask him the reason why he does it, the situation will surely worsen. A tic is usually an involuntary and repetitive gesture or movement that is produced by the contraction of one or more muscles of the body, usually the face.
They tend to occur more often in children between 7 and 12 years old. Simple tics are short, sudden movements such as blinking, shrugging, frowning, or shaking the head. Complexes are different coordinated modes of successive motion. They can include jumping, sniffing objects, touching the nose, or touching other people.
We have to find out what is the situation that causes nervousness. You have to analyze this circumstance and try to avoid it. The cause of nervous tics is often unclear. A sum of different psychological, environmental, genetic and neurobiological factors can influence.
Its aggravation, as we have pointed out, usually coincides with situations of change that can cause anxiety. For example the arrival of a new baby brother, going back to school, the death of a relative or a complicated exam. Also sometimes the tics can vary. Some can be removed and others appear and their intensity can increase. Seek medical help when they negatively interfere with the child’s daily life. Sometimes those tics can influence relationships with your peers and friends.
Good therapy is to try to positively reinforce your behavior. Once the cause or situation that causes it has been found, it is necessary to try to change their behavior in a proactive and positive way.
Treatment of tics
If we can avoid what makes him afraid, anxious or nervous, the tic will surely subside. But on many occasions the child will have to overcome his fear of the situation. You can’t stop taking an exam, study a complicated subject, or avoid a teacher you don’t connect with. Children have to be able to overcome this situation.
The normal thing is that the tics disappear in a few months. If the tic persists for more than a year, we should consult with the pediatrician or specialist. We should also go if you have it more often or if it prevents you from developing your daily routines. It may be unimportant or a symptom of childhood depression or a bullying situation. In addition there are to rule out diseases such as Tourette syndrome a neurological disorder. This disorder is characterized by the association of multiple motor tics and complex vocal tics. It can also be a symptom of OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder.
Medication usually treats the tic symptom but does not cause it. For this reason, on many occasions it is good to consult a psychologist or a child neurologist to help them discover what the cause is if the parents are unable to do so.
In addition, the specialist will give them guidelines so that the children face the situation that affects them. A good idea may be to learn relaxation techniques and other tools such as yoga or mindfulness to help them control their tics.
