$Unique_ID{PAR00169}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Tics}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Tics Tic Jerky spasmodic muscle movements movement muscles pressure
pressures emotional stress stresses upset excited twitch mouth twitching
wrinkle forehead wrinkling blink blinks blinking eyes sigh sighs sighing cough
coughs coughing sniff sniffs sniffing allergic response responses head
shoulder shoulders hand hands arm arms jerk jerks jerking uncontrollable
uncontrollably Gilles de la Tourette's disease syndrome}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Tics


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOM
     - Jerky, spasmodic muscle movements

     HOME CARE
     - Try to find out if any type of stress may be causing the problem.
     - Do not nag or punish the child, or call attention to the tics.

     PRECAUTION
     - Everyone in the child's environment must cooperate in ignoring the
       tics.
     - Tics that persist for more than a few weeks or accompany other symptoms
       or unusual types of behavior may indicate a potentially serious problem
       and require professional attention.
     - Tics can be caused by physical conditions.  The diagnosis should be
       made by a doctor.


     Repeated, jerky, spasmodic movements of isolated groups of muscles are
called tics.  Tics often occur in preschool and school-age children as a
result of undue pressure and emotional stress.  They increase when a child is
upset or excited and stop temporarily when he or she is diverted or asleep.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     Usually, tics involve twitching the mouth, wrinkling the forehead,
blinking the eyes, sighing, coughing, or sniffing.  Tics must be distinguished
from allergic responses, which often lead to twitching the nose, blinking the
eyes, and coughing as well.  Tics can also cause the head, shoulders, hands,
or arms to jerk uncontrollably.  Tics can happen several times a minute or
only once or twice a day, and they may persist for weeks or months.
     A serious but rare condition called Gilles de la Tourette's disease is
characterized by tics at the outset, but it progresses to violent twitching of
the face and arms and sometimes other parts of the body.  The spasmodic
movements are accompanied by explosive sounds, such as barking and shouting
obscene words.  Because Gilles de la Tourette's disease is so unusual and
because it is fairly mild at the beginning, early diagnosis is not possible.

HOME CARE

     Do not pay undue attention to tics.  You may aggravate or prolong the
condition if you react by calling your child's attention to the tics,
demanding that the child stop, nagging, or punishing the child.  Your best
plan is to identify and then relieve any obviously stressful situations at
home, at school, or among your child's friends.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Ignoring tics requires the cooperation of brothers and sisters, parents,
     relatives, neighbors, and teachers.
  -  If tics are the only sign of emotional tension in a child, they may be
     due to the customary stresses of childhood.  However, if tics persist
     for more than a few weeks or occur with other symptoms or patterns of
     disturbed emotional behavior, they may signal a potentially serious
     problem.  Seek professional advice.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will examine the child carefully to make sure that the tics
are not due to a physical illness.  The doctor will evaluate stressful
situations in your child's environment and advise you on how to handle them.
Your doctor may recommend consultation with a neurologist (a specialist in
disorders of the nervous system).

RELATED TOPIC:  Hay fever and other nasal allergies