Are childhood tics common?

Tics are defined as fast, repetitive muscle movements that can result in sudden body movements or sounds.  They are uncontrollable because they are involuntary and may cause embarrassment to the person experiencing them.  Some examples of tics include frequent eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, sniffling, uncontrolled spoken words, or constant throat clearing.  People have reported they feel an urge to engage in this body movement, and once it is complete, they feel a release of tension or stress once it has happened.  Some have reported they can control their tics for short periods of time. However, the tics typically return.

Childhood tics are fairly common and typically appear around the age of five and up to the age of ten.  Most of the time, they are not serious and either improve or disappear as the child ages.  Often, the tic disappears within a year or less.  It is noted that one in five children experience tics during their school-age years.   It is very infrequently that tics will start when a person is an adult. 

It is not known what causes tics and why they occur.  Doctors believe there are chemical changes in the brain with the release of dopamine and serotonin and that it impacts different parts of the brain.  Parents often ask how tics should be managed, and the best advice that has been given is to ignore thetic.  When the person or child has attention brought to their tic, they often experience increased anxiety.  The increase in anxiety can actually make the tics worse, which then causes more anxiety, and a cycle begins.

The best way to address tics for children is to help them learn how to relax and reduce their own stress.  This can be done in several ways, it can be done through teaching them breathing techniques, teaching them to focus on a favorite memory to help reduce the anxiety, or it can be done by engaging them in activities they also enjoy to help alleviate and reduce their anxiety and stress.  In addition, children may have lowered self-esteem and self-confidence due to the tic.  It is important to support the child and reassure them.