Vocal tics in adults and children are a neurological disorder that manifests itself in the form of involuntary sounds or involuntary pronunciation of words. This is one of the manifestations of systemic neurosis. Vocal tics in children lead to disruption of the learning process and are often an obstacle to socialization among peers. This pathology is treated.
Manifestations of vocal tics
A vocal tic in a child is a symptom of a complex neurotic disorder. Manifests itself in involuntary utterance of sounds, coughing, sniffling, and sniffling. Often this disorder is combined with attention deficit disorder and other manifestations of neurosis. The child is able to control his behavior for some time, but this leads to increased tension in the nervous system.
A vocal tic in a child, the symptoms of which can vary, can manifest itself in the following:
- Coprolalia: the child involuntarily utters obscene and abusive words.
- Echolalia is the repetition of the same word.
- Palilalia is unintelligible, confused, rapid speech.
- Unclear speech through teeth in Tourette's syndrome (see).
Vocal tics are most often observed in preschool or younger children. school age. However, they also occur in adolescents and even adults.
Usually their attacks are preceded by nervous tension or mental fatigue. Although sometimes to stop tics you only need to distract the child with some kind of entertainment, game or task. The disorder can seriously damage relationships with classmates at school or peers in kindergarten.
Along with speech disorders, stuttering, restlessness in class, enuresis, attention deficit disorder, muscle tremors (fasciculations) are possible. The disease makes it difficult to concentrate on school. Manifestations may include coughing, sniffling, and checking your voice. In addition, children can bite their nails and hair. Symptoms usually worsen towards the end of the day.
Causes
Vocal tics in children and adults are associated with neurological pathology. The main causes of these disorders:
- Neurotic conditions.
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Birth injuries.
- Brain diseases (Tourette's syndrome, extrapyramidal disorders - hyperkinesis: chorea, athetosis).
- Deficiency of vitamins and microelements along with abuse of glutamate-containing drugs.
Traumatic brain and birth injuries can damage the centers of the brain associated with speech production. Vocal tics may also be one of the symptoms organic damage brain with extrapyramidal disorders, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis. Sometimes this is a manifestation of intoxication. In this case, the transmission of nerve impulses is disrupted and the cerebral cortex is overexcited.
Neuroses caused by a turbulent environment at home or at school can also cause nervous system disorders that lead to vocal tics. Scandals in the family, bad relationships with classmates or classmates can provoke confused speech and the utterance of unwanted sounds.
Often these disorders appear against the background nervous exhaustion: neurasthenic disorders or psychological trauma. Sometimes the condition is preceded by the death of close relatives or experience severe stress: acute or chronic.
A disorder may occur due to a deficiency of important microelements, leading to damage to the nervous system. Deficiency of B vitamins, especially B6, B1, B12, magnesium, calcium and potassium, contributes to disruption of nerve impulses.
Diagnosis and treatment of vocal tics
If vocal tics are detected, it is necessary to visit a neurologist. Instrumental examinations include MRI of the brain or ultrasound, electroencephalogram to exclude organic pathologies. By sniffing and adjusting your voice, diseases of the ENT organs are excluded.
At neurotic states it is necessary to structure the daily routine of patients in such a way as to ensure good sleep. Nervous overstrain and mental overload should not be allowed, thereby preventing vocal tics in children whose treatment involves complex problem. It is also necessary to avoid foods that provoke overstimulation of the nervous system: chocolate, tea and coffee, cocoa.
For vocal tics in children, soften study load, eliminate stressors during the learning process as much as possible. Class teacher or teacher kindergarten it is necessary to warn about the seriousness of the child’s nervous disorder. If possible, the student can be transferred to home schooling. If you have vocal tics, you should take soothing baths with aromatic oils: lavender, pine. Adults are recommended to take a vacation and relax in a sanatorium.
Drug therapy
Additionally, vitamins and minerals, containing vitamins B1, B6, B12, as well as calcium, magnesium, potassium. They help improve the functioning of the nervous system and eliminate its overexcitation.
To calm down excess activity, drugs such as Biotredin are used. They contain inhibitory mediators of the nervous system, reducing its overexcitation. Phenibut and Picamilon affect receptors for gamma-aminobutyric acid, which calms the psyche and improves falling asleep and normalizes sleep.
Body massage and acupuncture reduce stress and are carried out in the evening, preferably before bedtime. Physiotherapy V daytime will help to throw out suppressed emotions, thereby reducing tension.
Conclusion
Speech disorders can be corrected and go away on their own as they grow older, but in any case, psychological and medication assistance. Watch the video to see how vocal tics manifest in Tourette syndrome.
Vocal tics in children are the involuntary pronunciation of various sounds, simple or complex in nature. Tics can be provoked by respiratory infections, after illness with bronchitis, tonsillitis, rhinitis. Mental overload and head trauma are additional external factors leading to the appearance of tics. It is important to exclude the possibility concomitant diseases by contacting a psychotherapist and neurologist for an accurate diagnosis.
The main causes of vocal tics in children are purely psychogenetic in nature:
- Heredity - the disease is more likely to occur in children whose parents are also susceptible to tics or “obsessive-compulsive neuroses.” Symptoms may appear over time early age than their parents.
- Troubled environment (at home, school, kindergarten) - conflicting parents, overwhelming demands, prohibitions, or complete absence control, lack of attention, mechanical attitude: wash, feed, sleep.
- Severe stress - the trigger for tics can be fear, emotional trauma associated with abuse, or news of the death of a relative.
Tics can also have physiological causes, for example, serious illnesses, lack of magnesium in the body, disruption of the central nervous system as a result of:
- cerebral circulatory disorders;
- head injuries;
- previous meningitis;
- intracranial hypertension.
If children suffer from depression, then the risk of developing tics is high.
Symptoms
Simple vocal tics include grunting, coughing, whistling, noisy breathing, and grunting. The child makes prolonged sounds “ay”, “ee-and”, “oo-oo”. Other sounds such as squealing or whistling are somewhat less common.
Symptoms manifest themselves individually, serially, and can be status-related. If the day was emotional, the patient was overtired, and in the evening the symptoms intensified. Simple tics in ¼ of patients manifest themselves with motor tics in low and high tones:
- At low levels, the patient coughs, clears his throat, grunts, and sniffles.
- At high levels, the sounds are already more defined, some vowel letters. High tones combined with shudders.
Children are also diagnosed with complex vocal tics, the symptoms of which include:
- pronunciation of words, including abusive ones - coprolalia;
- constant repetition of the word - ;
- fast, uneven, unintelligible speech - palilalia;
- repetition of words, muttering - Tourette's syndrome (watch video).
Such manifestations cause a lot of problems, because children cannot attend school normally due to bursts of uncontrolled flow of swearing and other speech disorders.
Treatment
Treatment of vocal tics in a child is carried out on an outpatient basis, so that hospitalization does not increase the anxiety state, which will aggravate the disease. The child should be observed by a pediatric neurologist. In 40% of children, tics disappear on their own; the rest have to be treated long and painstakingly. He very effectively conducts conversations with a psychologist who organizes therapy for the child and his parents. Understanding by parents of the insurmountable nature of the disease will only speed up recovery.
Attempts to suppress tics by willpower usually make them worse. anxiety state in the child, causing a new, even more pronounced wave of symptoms. Therefore, to pull him back, to remind him to restrain himself, much less to punish him, is cruel and unacceptable.
If a child’s tics are caused by psychological reasons, it will be enough to normalize the family environment, create a friendly, favorable atmosphere that will provide the most effective treatment.
- We recommend reading:
Remove excessive emotional stimuli from your child's environment. It doesn’t matter whether they are positive or negative – it’s stress. Even an attempt to distract the child’s attention from the problem by cajoling gifts and travel is a serious burden on the central nervous system. It is better to organize a gentle daily routine and a calm atmosphere in the house.
- Take note:
Analyze what is the “trigger” that provokes vocal tics in your child. Having found out the source of irritation, eliminate it.
Often the source is watching TV shows, especially if the lights are off. The flickering light on the TV screen changes bioelectrical activity child's brain. Therefore, while treatment lasts, “communication” with TV and computer should be kept to a minimum.
To speed up the healing process, “forget” about the disease. Don't pay attention to the tics. If they show concern about the illness, explain that these troubles are temporary and will soon pass. Children who suffer from tics become very vulnerable. They need to be helped to feel protected in order to be confident in their abilities.
Relieve stress with a relaxing massage, baths with pine extracts, essential oils, sea salt. Conduct physiotherapy and aromatherapy sessions for children.
- Actual information:
Treatment with medications is the last option for solving the problem of hyperkinesis in children. It must be applied when previous methods were powerless.
But when deciding on treatment with medications, self-medication is excluded. Even if they say that it helped someone’s child with such a problem, this does not mean that it will help everyone.
For drug treatment, two groups of drugs are used: antidepressants (, Paxil) and antipsychotics or antipsychotics (tiapridal, teralen); they minimize movement symptoms – this is the basic treatment. But there may be more additional medications. They are designed to improve metabolic processes in the brain and provide additional necessary vitamins.
Complications
Nervous tics in children are a neurological disorder that manifests itself in twitching of the eye, cheeks, shoulders or other parts of the body, which the child himself does not notice. Observing from the side " strange habit“The parent often panics. However, this syndrome is usually not a serious problem and can be treated.
External manifestations
Twitching eye syndrome most often occurs in children between 7 and 10 years of age. Less commonly observed during the transition period from 11 to 13, and sometimes from 3 to 6 years.
Manifestations of nervous tics in children can be of a motor or vocal nature. Among the motor tics, eye twitches are the most common. In other cases, the child exhibits other symptoms:
Vocal signs of a nervous tic include the following manifestations:
Symptoms, both motor and vocal, increase when the child is agitated. Often a nervous tic appears when there is increased attention to it. For example, when there are many guests in the house, and strangers ask the child to recite the poem.
Children in such situations experience severe embarrassment, which can provoke non-stop nose sniffing or uncontrollable eye twitching. But as soon as the child can be calmed down, the nervous tic goes away on its own and does not require treatment.
What distinguishes the syndrome from a more serious nervous disorder is that the attacks do not last long and the symptoms never appear at night. If a child sleeps calmly, with relaxed facial muscles, and does not make repetitive sounds, then the causes of a nervous tic that happens during the day are shallow and completely removable.
Causes
Treatment of a nervous tic begins with finding out the reasons for its occurrence. They can be:
If parents had a similar syndrome in childhood, then it is likely that the children inherited their sensitivity and tendency to nervous disorders.
TO physiological reasons The following factors may include:
- Infectious diseases.
If the child has suffered any viral disease(chickenpox, jaundice and even the common flu), not only does his immunity decrease, but his normal processes in the autonomic nervous system.
- Intoxication.
Long-term exposure to toxins can cause neurological pathologies. This happens after long treatment antibiotics or other potent drugs. Polluted air in the child’s place of residence, as well as the general environmental climate, also have a significant impact. And sometimes parents themselves create unfavorable conditions, for example, by allowing themselves to smoke indoors. Tobacco smoke, which a child breathes in, causes a persistent twitching of the eye or very rapid blinking.
- Magnesium deficiency.
One of the common causes of nervous tics in children is an insufficient amount of microelements in the body, such as potassium and especially magnesium. Deficiency of these substances occurs after inflammatory processes, long-term infectious diseases, intoxication or due to poor absorption of vitamins and minerals by the child.
TO psychological reasons the appearance of the syndrome includes the following factors:
- Emotional stress.
As a child develops, he encounters new experiences every day, meets new people and learns to adapt to new circumstances. Sensitive children sometimes become too emotional about transferring to another school or moving. Not to mention the usual problems and conflicts: quarrels with classmates, fear of tests, etc. If a child does not express emotions openly and tries to hide them, internal stress accumulates and manifests itself in the form of a twitching eye, flinching, etc.
This is one of the most common causes of tics in children. A child may be frightened by a strong thunderstorm, bad dream, scary film etc.
- Mental stress.
Tics in the form of a twitching eye often appear due to overwork. The nervous system of children can be depleted by stresses beyond their age, especially mental ones. If after school a child sits down at his desk again to do his homework, and after that he still goes to a tutor, then it is not surprising that he will develop nervous tic syndrome.
- Lack of attention or excessive care.
Eye twitching often occurs in children whose parents are either very strict or, conversely, pay little attention to the child. In both cases, children worry too much about trifles, because they are afraid of punishment or because they strive to earn love.
Nervous tic in a child: treatment
Treatment of a nervous tic, as already noted, depends on the cause:
- Psychological help.
If a child experiences a lack of attention from his parents, then simply taking the time to talk to him for at least half an hour before bedtime is enough:
- Calming procedures.
To calm the nervous system, it is useful to drink decoctions of mint or valerian root before bed, take baths with essential oils and do a relaxing massage.
- Providing microelements.
If the child has suffered infection, you need to take care to replenish vitamins and minerals in the body. You can ask your doctor to immediately prescribe a complex containing B vitamins or including elements such as potassium and magnesium.
Or you can think over the menu in such a way that it contains a lot of beans, peas, buckwheat and oatmeal, black currants and cherries, nuts. These products contain enough essential microelements to restore the child’s nervous system.
- Prevention of overwork.
If there is really a need for additional classes with tutors, distribute the schedule in such a way that mental stress alternates with physical activity. Gymnastics and swimming are very helpful for nervous tics. Do not force your child to sit down for homework immediately after school. Let him take a walk on the street, or go dancing (if it brings him pleasure). And be sure to make sure your child goes to bed on time. In the end, health is much more important than one unlearned lesson.
Treatment of nervous tics often involves the listed actions. But if eye twitching or other symptoms still do not go away, contact a neurologist. He will select appropriate sedative medications and, if necessary, prescribe sessions with a psychotherapist to help the child get rid of obsessive fears and cure tics.
Classification, causes and treatment of hyperkinesis
A tic is a sudden, jerky, repetitive movement involving separate groups muscles. This symptom can be observed in both adults and children.
Nervous tics in children occupy a leading place among diseases childhood, is diagnosed in 13% of boys and 11% of girls. According to statistics, in Russia every fifth child under the age of 10 has this symptom.
There are two “crisis” periods: 3.5–7 years and 12–15 years; it is during these age intervals that “jumps” in the maturation of the cerebral cortex and the appearance of the first tic attack occur. A nervous tic manifests itself in the form of a contraction of a certain muscle group or one muscle as a result of its reflex excitation.
It is necessary to differentiate tics from convulsive contractions of skeletal muscles, which appear as a result of any acute or chronic diseases(with this pathology, a person can reproduce and partially control muscle contraction).
The origin of tics is based on an imbalance between the processes of excitation and inhibition in the subcortical areas of the brain.
Causes
Nervous tics in children - treatment
Despite the fact that the symptoms of nervous tics in children are very frightening for parents, treatment of this disease in 90% of cases it is successful. This panic is justified, because obsessive involuntary muscle contractions, which appear with lightning speed, distort the child’s face beyond recognition, forcing an arm or leg to make absurd movements. If teenagers can still control their tics (albeit for a short time), then two year olds This is not possible.
Types of ticks
There are three types of ticks:
Each of these types can manifest itself in a simple form, when a tic affects one muscle, complex (in a group of muscles) and generalized (a combination of several types of tics). Often, children do not notice oddities in their own behavior and well-being, but it is immediately apparent to those around them. More sensitive kids can sense that a certain muscle is about to start twitching, so they can overcome the tic on a subconscious level. And some children, anticipating an attack, panic and become nervous, which leads to increased muscle contractions. It is worth noting that this disease is always accompanied by decreased attention, deterioration of memory and performance. The child becomes restless, capricious, and may become depressed.
Why do tics occur in children? Do they go away on their own? Only a doctor can give a definite answer, since each case is individual. But common reasons still exist. They are divided into psychogenic (primary) and symptomatic (secondary). The first include:
Symptomatic causes can be both hereditary and acquired as a result of diseases:
To cure tics in a child, as practice shows, it is necessary to accurately determine their cause. Often it is enough to create a friendly and calm environment around the baby. Consulting a psychotherapist wouldn't hurt either. Moreover, parents too!
How to treat tics in emotional children prone to overexcitement? Most doctors are inclined to homeopathic medicines. The fact is that long-term use of classical sedatives sedatives may make the situation worse. And homeopathy treatment for tics in children is absolutely harmless. However, in this case, you need to consult an experienced homeopath, because there are dozens of similar drugs!
Nervous tic in a child: treatment, causes
Nervous tics are commonly called involuntary, sudden and repeated muscle contractions. This disease is familiar to many people, but most often it affects children under ten years of age. Parents do not immediately notice a nervous tic in their child, and treatment is delayed because of this. Over time, frequent blinking or coughing alerts adults, and the baby is taken to a specialist. Since usually all indicators are normal, he advises contacting a neurologist. Only then do parents begin to deal with the problem. Diagnosing the disease takes a lot of time, so don’t hesitate. It is better to seek help as soon as alarming symptoms appear.
How does tic manifest itself and when does it occur?
Contractions are often most noticeable on the face and neck. They can be manifested by blinking, sniffling, movements of the head or shoulders, twitching of the lips and nose. Sometimes a child has several symptoms.
Neurologists say that the most dangerous age, when the occurrence of the disease is most likely, is 3-4 years and 7-8 years. This is explained by the peculiarities of the development of the body: at this age, children face various crises and move on to new life stages.
Symptoms
It is not easy to identify this disorder because for a long time neither the child nor the parents realize that the movements are involuntary. The most important criterion that should alert you is the inability to control muscle contractions. When a nervous tic is observed, the child's eyes may blink and twitch rapidly. This is one of the most common symptoms.
Types of nervous tics
Depending on how long the disease lasts, tics are usually classified as follows:
If a nervous tic is detected in a child, treatment will depend on which muscle groups are involved. Therefore, the disease is usually divided into types:
Local (one muscle group)
Common (several groups)
Generalized (almost all muscles contract).
Why does this disorder occur?
When do they arise? nervous tics in children, the reasons for this phenomenon are of great concern to their parents. To make the picture more clear, experts recommend remembering what events preceded these manifestations. As a rule, the disease is caused by a complex of reasons.
Hereditary factor
Neurologists say that it is of primary importance. But there are a number of caveats.
If one of the parents suffers from this condition, it is not necessary that the child also be diagnosed with tics. This indicates a predisposition, but does not guarantee this disorder.
It is not possible by external factors determine whether there is genetic predisposition. Perhaps the parents had psychological problems, which through upbringing were passed on to the child through uncontrollable emotions. In this case, it is worth talking about the method of response, and not genes.
Experiences and stress
Parents are very worried when a nervous tic is detected in a child. They begin treatment immediately, but sometimes it is first necessary to think about the triggering factors and eliminate them. If a specialist says that stress may be the cause, parents are skeptical. But it is worth remembering that for adults and children the reasons for worry can be completely different. In addition, even positive emotions, if they are especially vivid, can excite nervous system impressionable kid.
TVs and computers
Childhood neurology affects many children, so parents should take timely measures. Watching TV for a long time brings big problems. This is because the flashing light affects the work intensity nerve cells brain When this happens very often, the natural rhythm that is responsible for calm is disrupted.
Insufficient physical activity
Parents need to figure out how to get rid of nervous tics, because they affect the child’s mental health and can change from one type to another and grow over time. Their main mistake is that they give great importance mental stress of the child and completely forget about the physical one. Children also need it so that their energy finds a way out. Otherwise, reflex muscle contractions may occur.
Errors of education
Child neurology can be affected by parental personality traits that they have no control over. The following factors can lead to this disorder.
Psychogenic and symptomatic tics
To understand how to get rid of nervous tics, you need to know that they are primary (psychogenic) and secondary (symptomatic). The first ones occur most often between the ages of five and seven years, since this period is the most critical for the child. The causes of their occurrence can be stress and psychological trauma, which are divided into acute and chronic.
Symptomatic disorders are caused by birth injuries, tumors and metabolic disorders of the brain. Sometimes the cause is a viral infection that causes short-term hypoxia.
How to treat the disorder?
Parents who have identified a nervous tic in their child should not put off treatment. First of all, you need to contact a neurologist, and then a psychologist. If the tics last for quite a long time, the baby will be prescribed drug treatment, but in order to get good results, you can’t do it with pills alone. It is necessary to correct all factors that can cause the disorder.
Parents must:
Reduce time spent watching TV
Provide physical exercise
Develop optimal mode day and keep it
Minimize worries and stress
If possible, conduct sand therapy or sculpting sessions
Do exercises to tense and relax your facial muscles
Do not focus the child’s attention on the problem so that he does not try to control the contractions.
Do not despair if your child is diagnosed with a nervous tic. Causes and treatment may vary in each case, but you need to know general rules. It is not recommended to give your baby strong drugs, as there is a high probability side effects. If the disorder is a consequence of another disease, then comprehensive treatment is necessary.
Prevention
When a nervous tic is present in children, the symptoms can be either pronounced or completely invisible. But it is better not to wait until the disease begins to progress and carry out preventive actions. The baby should get enough rest, go for walks fresh air, and it is also very important to surround him with care and love, to provide a comfortable and calm environment.
Attention, TODAY only!
Tics are stereotyped, repetitive movements. They usually first appear in children aged 3 to 5 years. Tics are characterized by a wave-like course: periods of exacerbations, which usually last about 1.5 months, are replaced by periods of remission.
Types of tics in children
Depending on the severity, tics can be local or widespread. Localized tics involve one region, such as the head. The most common local tic is blinking. Common tics include several regions. Frequently encountered common tics are jumping, jerking of the arm or shoulder.
Tics can be single or multiple. Individuals are characterized by one stereotypical movement, while multiples are characterized by a combination of them. Tics can replace each other over time. For example, blinking is replaced by nose behavior, then both tics occur simultaneously. Other regions of the body may also be involved.
In addition to motor ones, there are vocal tics. They are characterized by stereotypical pronunciation of any sounds (coughing, grunting, etc.). They can be combined with motor tics, or exist in isolation.
Causes of tics in children
Parents often associate the appearance of children's tics with stress and emotional turmoil. In fact, the cause of tics is a change in metabolism (dopamine and norepinephrine) in the subcortical structures of the brain. A person is born with such a predisposition, and it is often inherited.
Tics are not always caused by a stress factor. There is not always a relationship between the occurrence of tics and the stress experienced. A child can grow up in a prosperous and happy family, but one day without any external reasons Due to the peculiarities of brain development, the mechanism is activated and clinical symptoms appear.
Often no additional examinations are required. In some cases, EMC neurologists perform an electroencephalogram in order to rule out epilepsy in a child. The prognosis for the course of the disease is favorable in most cases. In 80% of cases, tics go away on their own after reaching adolescence and do not require treatment. They may appear only sporadically during increased fatigue, fatigue and emotional stress.
Treatment of nervous tics in
According to international protocols, in most cases tics are not treated with drug therapy. This is due to the frequency of their manifestation. Medications are prescribed only in cases where tics cause significant physical or psychological discomfort to the patient. For example, a child blinks so often that his eyes hurt. Or, for example, the grunting is so loud that it is difficult for others to be around, so the child has difficulty communicating. Vocal tics can be significantly limiting social life child and influence his self-esteem.
Any therapy for tics is symptomatic; it does not eliminate the cause of the disease. Fully safe drugs, which have proven effectiveness in affecting the source of the problem do not exist. All of them have a number of side effects, so their use requires strict indications.
It is important to assess how much discomfort the tics are causing your child. Often, parents insist on prescribing drug therapy because they are worried that the child is experiencing inconvenience and difficulty communicating with peers. But for the child himself, tics are not a problem or an obstacle to successful socialization.
There are a number of drugs that have a certain effect on the course of the disease. But none of them passed serious clinical trial. Therefore, parents often come with complaints that at first the drug was effective, but during the next exacerbation of the disease there was no effect. This is due to the fact that the first stage of admission medicine often coincides with the period of remission, so parents have the impression of its effectiveness. Similar drugs are not assigned within the framework.
There are a number of diseases that are caused by streptococcal infection. The body begins to produce antibodies to streptococcus, which can affect subcortical structures. Therefore, if there are factors indicating a connection between childhood tics and streptococcal infection, a test is carried out for the presence of antibodies to streptococcus; if they are detected, antibacterial therapy is prescribed.
Exists non-drug method correction of nervous tics in children - biofeedback therapy (biological Feedback), when using a special computer program classes are conducted to influence the functional component of the brain. If biofeedback therapy is required, a neuropsychologist is involved in the management of the patient.
Every mother dreams that her little miracle will grow strong and healthy child. Alas, no matter how hard she tries, sooner or later the baby gets sick. If to viral infections and many are ready for various acute respiratory infections, a nervous tic in a child can frighten even the most experienced parents. To provide timely assistance, avoid complications and simply save your own nerves, it is enough to know basic information about the disease: symptoms, causes, types and treatment.
Nervous tics can occur not only in an adult, but also in a baby - parents should pay attention to the symptom Special attention
What is a nervous tic and how to distinguish it from other similar disorders?
A nervous tic can be described as a sudden and involuntary brief movement of the face or limbs caused by muscle contraction. In certain cases it is accompanied by sounds. Externally you can observe in a child:
- blinking;
- twitching of the corners of the mouth or cheeks;
- wincing and shrugging;
- raising eyebrows;
- head throwing and more.
Tics can appear in children between the ages of 2 and 18, but most often they can be found in children aged 3 and 7-11 years. According to statistics, 20% of children under 10 years of age suffer from a tic disorder - this is every fifth child.
It is important to be able to distinguish a nervous tic from convulsive muscle contractions that may accompany another disease. These signs include:
- A child's ability to produce, partially control, and temporarily suppress tics.
- The dependence of the frequency of tics on the child’s mood, activity, time of year and even time of day.
- Absence of tics during voluntary movements (drinking from a cup, eating with a spoon, etc.).
- Change of localization. For example, twitching of the corners of the mouth over time can turn into a shrug or blinking. You need to understand: most likely, this is a new attack of an old disease, and not another disease.
When a child is focused and highly engaged in an interesting activity, nervous tics may weaken and sometimes stop completely. After finishing playing, drawing, reading or other activity, symptoms return with new strength. Also, the child’s prolonged stay in the same position can intensify the manifestation of tics.
Children susceptible to this disorder have noticeable impairments in attention and perception. Their movements cease to be smooth and coordinated; difficulty in performing habitual motor acts can be noted. In particular severe cases the child may suffer from a spatial perception disorder.
When a child draws or does something else that interests him, the tic often temporarily recedes Classification of nervous tics
Firstly, there are two types of tics:
- simple;
- complex.
The first type includes tics that affect only one specific muscle group: the eyes or head, arms or legs. Complex tics are a combined contraction of several different muscle groups at once.
Secondly, tics are divided based on their external manifestation:
- motor;
- vocal;
- rituals;
- generalized forms.
The first type includes: blinking, shrugging shoulders, throwing back the head, twitching the corners of the mouth or cheeks and other involuntary body movements. Vocal tics get their name from the sound they produce - sniffing, sniffling or coughing. Constantly repeating actions of the same type - walking back and forth or in a circle - are referred to as so-called rituals. With the latter form of tics, the child exhibits several variants of them at once.
The literature describes the classic path of symptoms: first blinking, then sniffling, coughing, then shoulder movements and complex repetitive movements of the arms and legs, plus speech stereotypes that arise several years after the disease (“say no” - “no, no, no”) "). However, in practice such a picture is rare. So, if the onset of a tic coincides with a cold, then during this period overstimulation of the nasopharynx will lead to coughing or sniffling, and blinking will join later. In this case, one symptom can transform into another, single signs are replaced by their combinations. In the absence of qualified help and delay in treatment, a severe form of tic disorder may develop - de la Tourette's syndrome - a combination of voice and multiple movement disorders, plus hyperactivity with attention deficit and obsessive fears.
From a medical point of view, the following forms of nervous tics are distinguished:
- transient, in other words transitional;
- chronic.
In the first case, the child develops complex or simple varieties of tics, which are repeated every day for a month, but not longer than a year. It is very difficult for a child to control such mannered and rapidly repeating movements. Chronic form disorders can last more than a year with almost daily, but not simultaneous repetition different types nervous tics.
Causes of the disease
Before you begin to treat a disorder in your baby, you need to find out its cause. These could be:
- Hereditary predisposition. The likelihood of the disorder occurring in children increases in a family where one of the close relatives suffers from a similar disease.
- Parental behavior and family atmosphere. Of course, genetics and environment occupy not the least place in the formation of the child’s personality, his character traits and ability to adequately respond to external stimuli, but the family and its internal state play a primary role in this. Bright pronounced violation in the ratio of verbal and nonverbal communication parents with children and among themselves provokes unnatural behavior and anomalies in the child’s character. Constant prohibitions and comments, strict control and tension, endless screams can lead to inhibition of physiological activity, which, in turn, can result in one of the forms of nervous tics in the future. The situation with permissiveness and connivance can end in a similar way, so in raising children it is necessary to find a middle ground, which is individual for each child, depending on his temperament and personal qualities.
The causes of tics refute the common myth that only restless and excitable children are susceptible to this nervous disorder, because at a certain period of their lives absolutely all children are nervous, capricious and uncontrollable.
Factors that provoke tics
What exactly can trigger the appearance of tics? The answer is obvious - psychological stress caused by the child’s inability to independently cope with a problem or a difficult situation for him.
Quarrels or strained relationships between parents are acutely felt by the child, even if he does not see confirmation of his guesses. This may be one of the causes of tic condition For parents, the situation may remain mundane and they may well not notice that their child has suffered psychological trauma. As a result, the baby begins to demand more attention, does not want to stay and play alone, then facial expressions change, unconscious movements and gestures begin to appear, which are especially noticeable when the baby is emotionally excited or worried. It is they who subsequently turn into nervous tics. Also, severe long-term ENT diseases such as tonsillitis, ARVI or eye diseases can also cause tics.
Diagnosis of the disease
You should start treatment immediately after your doctor makes a diagnosis. This will require an examination by a neurologist and a mandatory examination of the mental and emotional state of the little patient. The latter will help to find out the causes and factors that caused the appearance of tics, find out their nature and adjust future treatment.
Sometimes it may be necessary to make a diagnosis additional measures: psychiatrist consultation, magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography. They should only be prescribed by a doctor.
Stages of treatment
First, you need to eliminate the influence of factors that cause tics. At the same time, it is important to follow sleep and nutritional schedules and ensure that the baby’s physical activity is adequate. There are several stages of treatment for such a nervous disorder:
- Family psychotherapy. First of all, it is necessary for families in which the internal tense situation directly affects psychological condition child. This practice would also be useful for families in which the child grows up in a favorable and harmonious atmosphere - this will only benefit relationships within the family and prevent possible mistakes in future.
- Correction with a psychologist. In individual lessons, using a variety of psychological techniques, the child is helped to cope with internal feelings of anxiety and discomfort and increase self-esteem. With the help of conversations and games, they stimulate the development of lagging areas mental activity: memory, self-control, attention (see also:). On group classes there are children with similar diseases or disorders, and the main idea of the classes is to create conflict situations V game form. Thus, the child learns to behave in conflicts, to look for possible solutions and draw conclusions. Additionally, the sphere of communication and communication with others is developing.
- Drug treatment. You should resort to the last method of treatment only if all the previous ones did not have the desired effect. Appoints medications pediatric neurologist based on data from all examinations.
You should be seriously concerned about this disease if symptoms appear before the age of three - this may indicate the presence of another mental illness. If tics appear later, then you should not panic ahead of time, as Dr. Komarovsky often recommends. Tics that appear at the age of 3-6 years decrease over time, and those that appear at the age of 6-8 years can be completely cured without consequences.
Loading...