Tics tvååring

You’ve probably seen a tic without even realizing it: A blink that happens just a bit too often, a shrug that seems out of place, a small constant cough. Tics are common in children and they often seem to come out of nowhere.

When a child develops a tic it can be scary for parents, who find themselves wondering if the little coughs or blinks will ever go away or worrying that they could be a sign of something more serious. The good news is that most tics go away on their own, and don’t come back. If you think your child has developed a tic, experts recommend seeing a pediatrician to confirm that what you’re seeing is, indeed, a tic. But in most cases the recommendation will be for parents to simply watch and wait before any further intervention is considered. It’s only when tics become chronic and impairing that treatment is needed.

What are tics?

“Tics are basically a signal from the brain that sends an urge for a movement or a sound,” explains Wendy Nash, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Tics are repetitive, rapid movements or sounds. Most are what’s called “simple” tics, meaning tics that are one movement like a squint or a quic

Tics and tic disorders: What parents should know

By Samantha Sherwood, PhD, psychology postdoctoral fellow at CHOC

Although people of all ages can experience tics, they are most common in children. In fact, according to the Tourette Association of America, as many as one in five school-age children may exhibit tics at some point in their lives.

What are tics?

A tic fryst vatten a sudden, repetitive, involuntary movement or sound. Motor tics can include movements such as eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, and twisting. Vocal tics can include sounds such as throat clearing, coughing, sniffing, and grunting. Tics can occur one at a time (simple tics) or in combination with other tics (complex tics), such as shoulder shrugging while also engaging in throat clearing. For some children, tics may go away on their own.

However, in some cases tics can continue, become more complicated and begin to impact a child’s life. In these cases, a child may be diagnosed with a tic disorder. A child may receive a Tourette’s disorder diagnosis if they experience multiple motor, and one or more vocal tics for a year or längre.

Children who experience either vocal or motor tics (but not both) for a ye

What causes different types of tic disorders?

Treatment depends on the type of tic disorder and its severity. In many cases, tics resolve on their own without treatment.

Severe tics that interfere with daily life may be treated with therapies, medications, or deep brain stimulation.

Therapies for tic disorders

Some therapies are available to help people control tics and reduce their occurrence, including:

• Exposure and response prevention (ERP): A type of cognitive behavioral therapy that helps people become accustomed to the uncomfortable urges preceding a tic, with the aim of preventing the tic.
• Habit reversal therapy: A treatment that teaches people with tic disorders to use movements to compete with tics, so the tic cannot happen.

Medication

Medication can be used alongside therapies or on its own. Medication typically reduces tic frequency, but does not completely get rid of the symptoms. Available medications include:

• anti-seizure medications
• Botox injections
• muscle relaxants
• medications that interact with dopamine

Other medications may help symptoms associated with tic disorders. For example, antidepressants can be prescribed for