Recognize a childs tic disorder in order not to scold him

Do you see your child wink often, so he won't let him do the same? In fact, you may have a tic disorder in your child. The following article will talk more about this disease.

Tic is a form of movement disorder or an involuntary pronunciation that occurs suddenly quickly but over and over again. This syndrome usually occurs in children under 18 years old. About 20% of school-age children have this disorder.

The severity of the disease depends on each child. This syndrome is usually worse when a child is between 11 and 12 years old, then gradually decreases as the child enters puberty. For some children, the disorder goes away completely after growing up, but others will cope with it into adulthood.

Symptoms of tic disorders in children

The frequency, intensity and timing of the muscle jerks varies from child to child. There are two main types of tic, accompanied by dissimilar manifestations:

Simple Tic

Relate to a simple muscle group or sound.

Simple sounds Tic include: sigh, cough, mutter, other sounds like clicking your tongue, clearing your throat, screaming ...

Simple movement tic includes: winking, winking, shrugging, shaking head, jerkiness.

Tic complex

Involves many muscle groups.

Complex audio tic consist of saying words or sentences over and over and not matching the context. Children repeat their own words or mimic the voices of others. In addition, children can also speak out loud or mutter in their mouths.

Complex movement tic includes self-patting, self-biting, jumping, stomping, spinning ... Sometimes, complicated movements are caused by children imitating other people's actions.

The cause of tic disorders in children

The cause of the tic disorder is unknown. Several environmental and biological factors can cause this syndrome. For example, allergens, chemicals in cleaning products, and even effects from movies or video games are affected.

Many researchers believe that tic disorders are inherited, while others say abnormalities in the brain or neurotransmitters. Tic syndrome can also be caused by stroke, head injury, infection ...

In addition, degenerative neurological diseases such as Huntington's disease, neuronal cell disease, and cerebral palsy can also cause tic syndrome. Tic syndrome can develop if:

There are complications during childbirth

The mother has been drinking or smoking during pregnancy

Low birth weight

Children infected with group A streptococcal infection

Diagnosis of tic disease

Diagnosing tic disorders in a child is not an easy task because some symptoms such as snorting, runny nose or cough are very similar to the common cold. To diagnose tic, the doctor will observe symptoms and evaluate how often symptoms appear. Then, the doctor will learn about the child's illnesses in the past to determine if there is an underlying disease that is causing the tic disorder. During the diagnosis, the doctor will examine:

1. Age of child when tic symptom onset
2. severity of tic
3. Length of tic symptoms
4. Type of tic disorder: tic sound or motor tic

If symptoms have only recently appeared, less than a year, it is a mild tic disorder. However, if the condition has lasted for more than a year, it is a chronic tic disorder. Tic syndrome is often confused with Tourette's syndrome , a syndrome recognized by multiple tics of motor jerks and at least one speech tics.

Treatment of tic diseases

Tic syndrome usually doesn't need treatment unless the symptoms are very severe or interfere with a child's daily activities. Some tic treatments:

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the best treatments for tic disorder. The therapist will use a method of cognitive-behavioral therapy called habit reversal. When tic symptoms appear, children will stop these symptoms.

For example, children often snort or blink, with cognitive-behavioral therapy, they will be aware of their actions and replace with another action such as breathing deeply or closing eyes for a few seconds.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy also helps reduce the frequency of tic symptoms through breathing and relaxation techniques.

2. Medicines to treat tic disorders in children

The doctor may prescribe medications such as:

Pain relievers or antipsychotics such as pimozide, risperidone, and aripiprazole are the main medications used to treat tic. These drugs help control muscle movement. However, they can cause side effects such as blurred vision, weight gain, constipation, and dry mouth.

Clonidine helps to reduce symptoms of tic disorders and ADHD.

Botulinum helps relax muscles and prevent tic syndrome. However, this drug is only effective for 3 months.

Clonazepam also reduces the severity and frequency of tic disorders.

These are prescription medications and come with a few side effects. So talk with your doctor to determine what is best for your child.

3. Tic disease treatment is not too difficult

If the tic disorder is caused by a child with an existing medical condition, the tic disorder will disappear as long as it takes treatment. The best way to treat tic in children is to find the cause and eliminate it.

Prevention of tic disorders in children

Symptoms of a tic disorder can be controlled without the need for medication intervention. Tic are neurological disorders, so it is not the child's fault. Your care and care will be of great help in treating and preventing tic disorders.

Here are a few tips you should know:

Stress and anxiety are the most common causes of tic. So, try to keep the atmosphere in the home from stress.

Sometimes, a tic disorder is caused by a food allergy . Check out the foods your child has eaten. If it is determined that a food allergy is causing the disorder, you should stop giving dairy foods, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, processed foods and other gluten-free foods in a time.

Make sure your baby gets enough sleep at night. Children should sleep at least 10 hours a day.

If tic's symptoms aren't too severe, forget them. Paying too much attention to it will make the child feel stressed and make the situation worse.

Tic can confuse children. Explain to your child that there is nothing wrong with this and they just need to limit these actions.

About 72% of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are deficient in magnesium. Tic syndrome is often closely related to ADHD, so it is recommended that you offer foods rich in magnesium.

A healthy diet, a positive lifestyle and living environment will help children stay in good health and spiritually, helping to prevent tic disorder. However, if your child has this syndrome, you should stay calm and don't let the child get stressed. In addition, you should also take note of what happened before tic symptoms appeared. This will help you know when the symptoms of tic appear so how to prevent it.