Tics in Children & Your Child’s Mental Health

As many as 20% of children will experience a tic at some point in their lives. Today, we’re going to talk a little more about tics to empower you, as a parent or caregiver, to seek the right support for your child.

In this blog, we’ll explore tics in children, what causes tics in children, key terms you need to know, and the steps involved in treating vocal and motor tics in children.

But first, what is a tic?

A tic is a sudden, rapid, recurrent, non-rhythmic movement or vocalization. 

Some tics are simple, involving just a few parts of the body, while others can be more complex and involve several parts of the body in a pattern. Tics that involve your child making a sound are known as vocal tics, while tics that involve a movement are known as motor tics. 

You may hear the phrase “nervous tic,” although here at Little Otter, we prefer to avoid that phrase since it can have a slightly negative connotation.

Generally, tics come and go. There are times when they’re more prominent, and other times when they remit. For most kids, tics become less frequent in their late teens or early adulthood. 

Tics & Tourette Syndrome

Changes are, if you’ve Googled tics, you’ve also come across Tourette syndrome. Tourette syndrome is associated with the nervous system; it’s a disorder that causes people to have tics. 

However, not every child who experiences tics has Tourette syndrome. To have Tourette syndrome, “a person has at least two different motor tics and at least one vocal tic, and has had tics for over a year.”

Key terms related to tics

Here are two key terms related to tics that can be helpful for you to know:

• Premonitory urge: sensory phenomena (itch, tingle, vague discomfort) that precede and trigger the urge to tic 

• Exacerbating factors: psychosocial stress, temperature changes, illness, fatigue

When to worry about tics in children

Child mental health experts recommend seeking additional support and intervention if the tic is causing your child significant distress, impairment, or pain.

How are tics in children treated?

To understand how tics in children are treated, we need to first understand what’s actually happening inside your child when you see the tic.

From a neurological perspective, here’s what happens: the motor cortex sends signal for movement. The Basal Ganglia (gatekeeper) sends this signal to the muscles. After movement, there is feedback loop to prefrontal cortex on whether that movement was good, appropriate, and/or should be repeated.

That’s why behavioral interventions target the prefrontal cortex, to teach it that the tic movement shouldn’t be repeated.

More specifically, here are the steps and key strategies involved in treatment of tics in children:

• Mapping tics

• Awareness training 

  • Response description

  • Response detection

  • Early warning

• Competing response training

  • Teaching the child something physical to do that is incompatible with tics

  • Practice in session

• Habit Reversal: Social Support

  • Parents and caregivers reinforce use of competing response strategy through praise or gentle reminders

If you’re worried about tics in your child, know that Little Otter is here to help.

We’re currently available in select states, and working hard to expand nationwide! Learn more and register today: