Treatment of Nervous Tics in Children in Kyiv

Attentive parents easily notice any changes in a child's behavior and well-being, especially when they are obvious, for example, the child started blinking often, periodically jerks the shoulders and flinches, sometimes breathes heavily, or walks in an unusual way. If you have noticed such signs in your child, you are likely dealing with nervous tics, one of the common psycho-neurological disorders that occur in childhood. They are so common that one in five children under 5 shows signs of tic hyperkinesis. A child squints, blinks often, keeps wiping the nose with a hand without a runny nose, hunches up or flinches at loud sounds. These symptoms of nervous tics in children do not look dangerous or frightening. For this reason, parents postpone visiting a neurology clinic for a diagnosis and qualified help. This is a mistake, because tics that look harmless at first glance in a child:

1. May be a sign of a more serious disorder of the nervous system, such as ADHD or depression.
2. May intensify and lead to the child's isolation, as the child is embarrassed to socialize with peers because of the inability to control their own body.
3. Are often accompanied by attention problems and problems with perception, coordination, and spatial awareness, and by a slower pace of performing actions.

Besides physical discomfort, tics make a child feel uncomfortable, especially if they are vocal or noticeably involve the facial muscles. All this does not support confidence and success, so we advise starting treatment of motor tics in children in Kyiv rather than putting it off. At CSM Clinic, treatment of such disorders aims to address the causes of the symptoms and reduce their outward signs. The main thing is not to miss the time, because in some cases tics do not go away with age.

Tics in children: what are we dealing with?

Tics are not seizures; they have a completely different nature. If necessary, a child can reproduce them, and in some cases suppress them, although this is extremely difficult. Tics do not occur during voluntary movements, that is, when the child is focused. They have the following characteristic features:

• suddenness of onset (instantaneous);
• abruptness;
• stereotyped pattern;
• intermittent nature;
• repetitiveness;
• involuntariness;
• variable intensity.

Depending on which body systems are involved, tics are divided into:

• motor: movements of the facial muscles (intense blinking, eyelid twitching, tension of the nostrils) and of the body (shrugging the shoulders, "shaking" movements of the arms and legs);
• vocal: sniffing, snuffling, constantly wiping the nose without need;
• rituals: walking in circles.

Depending on the complexity and duration of symptoms, tics are classified as:

• Transient: observed for no longer than 12 months;
• Chronic: last longer than 12 months and involve only one system, being either motor or vocal;
• Tourette syndrome (TS): a generalized form combining motor and vocal tics.

The causes of tics in children are very diverse. Specialists link them to disturbed brain development in the perinatal period, hereditary predisposition, increased anxiety, unfavorable family circumstances, and a large number of stressful situations in the child's life.

Treatment of nervous tics in children at CSM Clinic aims to reduce symptoms and support the child's social adaptation

CSM Clinic provides treatment of nervous tics in children of various ages, from preschool to teenage years. Treatment of nervous tics in children in Kyiv begins with diagnostics: the neurologist needs to understand the depth of the problem and the causes that led to it in order to develop an individual correction plan for your child.

Treatment of nervous tics in children at CSM Clinic is aimed at two main tasks: reducing the physical manifestations of tics and teaching social adaptation. The first part is addressed with modern hardware-based methods. Tomatis therapy, inTime, transcranial micropolarization, the interactive metronome, and other methods help the brain "learn" to cope with stress and support the function of certain brain structures. To improve social adaptation skills, CSM Clinic patients work with a psychologist, whose main task is to help the child cope with a negative attitude toward the tics, find self-confidence, and learn to deal with anxiety and tension.

The effectiveness of treatment of motor tics in children at the clinic depends to a large extent on the parents, so the therapy program includes work with parents. We will explain how you can help your child.

Timely contact with CSM Clinic may help avoid treating tics in children with medications that have many side effects. While you still have the chance to address the situation with non-invasive methods and psychotherapy, call and visit the clinic.

Sources

• World Health Organization
• Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine