Neurological tics in children treatment. Nervous tics in children. Simple vocal tics

Keywords: tics in children, simple and complex motor tics,
vocalisms, tic hyperkinesis, transient (transient) or
chronic tic disorder, obsessive movements,
neurotic disorder with obsessive movements, Tourette's disease

What are tics, why and when do they appear?
Tics are common! How do they look?
What is so “scary” about tics?
How, when and why you need to treat tics
Daily routine, diet and lifestyle
Recipes for preventing and combating tics

Many parents unexpectedly notice that the child suddenly began to blink his eyes, make grimaces, sniffle and twitch his shoulder... A day or two, then it passed, a month later it appeared again, for a long time... And this happens very often, look around. At first sight, visible reasons for such manifestations there is no. What is this? A new teasing game, the beginning of a bad habit, or the onset of an illness? How to react to this? Kids are hot, emotional people, they have very vivid emotions, lively facial expressions and gestures. Maybe this is normal? It would be nice to figure it out...

Tics are rapid and involuntary, patterned, repetitive, irregular, short contractions. individual muscles or muscle groups, they appear against the will of the child. The movements are excessive and violent, which is why they are sometimes also called tic hyperkinesis. Outwardly, it always looks about the same, the manifestations are usually monotonous, most often tics occur in the muscles of the face, neck... They are easy to notice. If these are tics of the facial muscles, the child suddenly wrinkles his forehead, frowns his eyebrows, closes his eyes, moves his nose, and purses his lips into a tube. Tics in the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle are manifested by episodes of turning and twitching of the head, as if they were looking into the baby’s eyes long hair, or the hat is in the way; as well as movements of the shoulders and neck, as when feeling discomfort from a tight collar or uncomfortable clothing. By the way, it is precisely such problems with clothing that can serve as one of the triggers for the development of tics. Tics are most pronounced in a state of general motor immobility of the child, when he is bored; they also occur when the child is mentally concentrating, for example, when watching TV, reading a book or doing homework. On the contrary, if a child is very passionate about something, is passionately engaged in energetic play, and moves a lot, tics may weaken and even disappear.

How do parents react to this? As paradoxical as it may sound, in best case scenario, they don’t pay much attention to it, considering it ordinary children’s grimaces, pampering or a new game. At worst, they suggest the development of a bad habit, which can be easily overcome with the help of strict external control.
The excited mother begins to draw the attention of the child and those around him to his grimaces and sniffling, constantly pulling him back and making comments to him. At first, everything seems to be right, it’s working out well. For a while, it happens that this helps: with some effort, the child can turn on volitional control and temporarily refrain from obsessive movements. Then the parents are completely and completely convinced that it is simple. bad habit, and there is no problem. But this is the most common mistake!

An anxious (purple) mother tries to constantly control the child’s behavior, and, in the end, the smart baby, understanding the dissatisfaction and grief of adults, begins to be burdened by his involuntary movements, and tries to restrain himself from them, not sniffle and not twitch his shoulders. But it only gets worse and worse... Mom and others around, sincerely wishing only the best, regularly make comments to the baby: “Stop blinking like that! Please don't snoop! Stop shaking your head! Sit still! The poor obedient child sincerely tries to follow these instructions, with an effort of will he manages to briefly suppress the tics, while emotional stress only increases, he becomes even more worried and anxious, the number and volume of obsessive involuntary movements only increases from this, new tics appear, their formula is constantly changing – a vicious circle is formed. In the future, any emotional stress and excitement can lead to an increase in tics, they become chronic, and practically cannot be controlled by the will. That's it, the trap is closed, the child is “caught”!

Attention! If a child suddenly begins to blink his eyes, make grimaces, sniffle or jerk his shoulder, you cannot scold him for it! You cannot make comments to him about this, and in general, draw the child’s attention to his involuntary movements. You need to consult a neurologist.

Why and who gets tics, how often do they occur?

Most parents believe that tics arose for no reason, out of the blue. Usually, this is not the case. Parents may not know about some unpleasant problems child, arising at school or in the yard, and this is the cause of serious internal stress and anxiety. Almost every child is extremely sensitive to intra-family conflicts and has a hard time experiencing them; even those that, according to parents, are unknown to them and do not affect them at all. Any “minor” events in a child’s life, from the point of view of adults, absolutely not worthy of attention, can serve as a trigger for the development of childhood tics.
For example, a dozen kids were enthusiastically playing in the sandbox, and a very, very small dog running past suddenly barked loudly at them several times. Six kids didn’t even turn their heads, two shuddered, one girl cried, and one boy began to blink his eyes after a walk. For one in ten, is it common or rare, and why, specifically for this boy?

Many scientists note the significant participation of hereditary factors in the origin of supposedly “unreasonable” tics, while both mother and father can have genes in a “dormant” form; and manifest themselves in a special combination, in the form of tics, even after several generations. Some of these genes have already been “caught.” It is possible that that same boy from the sandbox, his dad had tics; or neurosis obsessive states his grandmother on his mother's side. It is important to know that tics themselves are not inherited; a combination of certain genes can only determine a predisposition to the development of tics. With such a predisposition, tics in children become “younger”: they develop relatively earlier than in their parents.

Indeed, many tics appear after serious stress, but not only negative ones (fear, grief, anxiety), but also strong ones positive emotions may cause tics. Some tics develop as a result of or after an infection or head injury, as well as from the use of medicines. Undoubtedly, endless “friendship” with the TV, computer and other gaming electronics, passion for buns, chocolates and soda almost certainly contribute to the development of tics. It’s trite, but one cannot fail to mention the “special” atmosphere and ecology of the city, intense information loads, a sedentary lifestyle and a tense situation in the family and school. You can talk for a long time about the possible circumstances that trigger tics, but, unfortunately, in life it often happens that the true causes of tics remain unknown. Sometimes tics behave “like a cat walking by itself”, come suddenly, also suddenly disappear and appear again. In this case, observation by a neurologist is mandatory. Fast and complete success of therapy in currently, alas, does not always guarantee the irreversible disappearance of tics, forever.
Only one thing can be said with certainty, in most cases, even minimal and quickly passing tics are an alarm signal, a flashing red light on the dashboard of the brain, this is a telegram from the child’s nervous system, in which there are only three words “something is wrong inside”.

The statistics on ticks are impressive; ticks are deservedly considered one of the most common neurological disorders in children, and recently the number of children with tics has been steadily increasing, and the age of onset of tics has been steadily decreasing. Tics began to occur much more often in infancy, tics are “getting younger” right before our eyes! According to recent studies, transient or chronic tic disorders occur in every fourth or fifth child! According to statistics, tics occur three times more often in boys, and they are noticeably more severe than in girls.

The typical age for the onset of tics is 4-7 years, usually coinciding with the start of kindergarten or school. For impressionable and vulnerable children, joining a team and changing habitual stereotypes causes enormous emotional stress. Not every child successfully copes with this on their own. Fortunately, in about eight out of ten children, tics usually disappear without a trace by the age of 10-12 years.
Tics are different, and the range of their manifestations is huge: from quickly passing, obsessive blinking, which some parents may not notice, to chronic widespread motor and vocal tics with mental disorders(eg Tourette's disease).

Gilles de la Tourette's disease is the most severe form of the disease, which is difficult to treat.

Tics in this form are multiple, massive, accompanied by sudden squeals or involuntary shouting of individual words. There is a behavioral disorder, and a decrease in intelligence may be observed.

The complexity of treatment, and even a certain mystery of some types of tics, is partly explained by the multifactorial nature and enormous content pathological processes, occurring at the same time. Tics refer to " borderline states» - this problem is at the intersection of several specialties: neurology, psychiatry, psychology and pediatrics.

What are the types of tics?

What colors are the sky, what shape are the waves on the sea, and what are the leaves in the forest? What is a skin rash and what is a cough? The forms and variants of tics in children are so diverse and numerous that at the onset of the disease, even an experienced doctor cannot immediately understand the situation and accurately predict further development events.
Tics can be simple and complex, local, widespread and generalized, motor and vocal. Local tics are observed in one muscle group (nose movements, blinking). Common - in several muscle groups, a combination of simple tics (lip curling, blinking, head twitching). Simple motor tics - frequent blinking, squinting, moving the eyes to the side and up, moving the nose and lips, turning and twitching the head, shoulders, hands, shaking the whole body and other involuntary movements.Complex motor tics - jumping and jumping, squatting, bending and turning the entire body, spontaneous gestures, obsessive touching of objects, etc.
Sound (vocal) tics are simple - continuous coughing for no reason, grunting, mooing, squealing, grunting, sniffing. Sound (vocal) tics are complex - repetition the same sounds, words, phrases, sometimes even involuntary shouting of curses (coprolalia).
The combination of complex, widespread motor and vocal tics is called generalized tics.

What is so “scary” about tics? How, when and why it is necessary to treat and whether tics can be cured

In more than half of the cases, tics are short-lived and do not appear again; in about eight out of ten children, by the age of 10-12 years, tics usually disappear without a trace. Maybe this is not a problem at all, and you don’t need to see a doctor, much less need treatment? I repeat, at the beginning of the appearance of tics, even an experienced specialist cannot always immediately understand the essence of the problem and accurately predict the further development of events. On the one side simple tics The phenomenon is quite harmless and not dangerous, as usual, it goes away quickly without treatment, of course. On the other hand, often in this apparent harmlessness and short duration lies real insidiousness - often, simple tics begin to intensify, imperceptibly transforming into common ones, and vocal tics join in. As a result, a child with chronic generalized tics is brought to the doctors, which are sometimes very difficult to treat.

We must not lose sight of the frequent inappropriate reactions of adults and children around the child. For some anxious and irritable parents, children's tics are like a red rag to a bull, causing dissatisfaction, resentment and even internal aggression. With their rash behavior and wrong actions, they only aggravate the course of the tics. In kindergarten and school, peers, either completely frivolously, without meaning to harm, or purposefully and harshly, begin to tease such children. Sometimes even teachers, by chance, being outright mistaken, energetically participate in these nonsense.The child begins to pay active attention to his tics, thinks about his differences from other children, analyzes his behavior, worries and worries. Thus, against the background of tics, a deep neurotic disorder develops for the second time, and this is sometimes a greater evil and danger than the tics themselves. Like any chronic illness, prolonged tics do not allow the child to live, they torment and exhaust the soul, fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances appear, anxiety and anxiety increase. Tension grows in the family, and other family members are gradually drawn into the orbit of tics. Quite rare, but not unique, they hide villainously under the guise of simple motor tics dangerous epileptic seizures. And now this is alreadyserious neurological problem.

The question arises: is it time to run to the doctor, and which doctor is better?

Or maybe it’s better to wait a little, maybe it will go away on its own? You need to trust your mother's intuition (but only after a visit to a neurologist!). Tics after serious stress, against the background or after an illness or head injury, continue for a long time and obviously reduce the quality of life of the child and family, complex and vocal tics, widespread and generalized - all this is a reason to immediately consult a doctor. Usually, they start with a visit to a neurologist or psychiatrist. As usual, a detailed parental story and a simple neurological examination (possibly an additional instrumental examination) to make sure there is no organic reasons for the appearance of tics.

Next, the neurologist recommends changing your lifestyle and sleep patterns: it is enough to temporarily destroy the “friendship” with the TV, computer and other gaming electronics. It is advisable to limit or remove from your usual food list products containing caffeine (strong tea, cocoa, coffee, cola, chocolate), sweets and other high-calorie foods. Without a doubt, intense sports physical exercise, even simple long walks on fresh air, they will bring great benefit and will help you quickly resolve the problem.

Quite often, tics serve as a kind of release valve for the child’s motor energy. Imagine, a child had a happy childhood, and in the summer he ran around outside all day long, his muscles enjoying life. And then the happiness ended, he went to first grade, and involuntarily, in nervous tension and for a long time, he had to pore over his lessons motionless. Of course, “it’s not just about blinking and twitching...” Give the children a little physical freedom: let them continue to run around on the street as before! On the contrary, it is advisable to strictly dose strong intellectual and psycho-emotional stress. In some cases, even positive emotions, especially strong and violent ones, significantly intensify tic manifestations.
Then, as a rule, a child psychologist comes to the rescue and works with the child and his family. In the treatment of simple tics, the main task is to identify and eliminate the obvious causes of tics (problems at school and family, misunderstanding on the part of parents, deep-seated childhood fears and anxieties, etc.). Commonly used simple methods individual behavioral psychotherapy and psychorelaxation, the methods of “voluntary tic depletion” have proven to be quite useful.

From time to time, such treatment methods are perceived with hostility by parents; it is easier to give"miracle pill" for tics, how to explain to dad that you can’t yell at the baby. The child’s mother has to exert maximum patience and perseverance, and work hard, before she can eliminate the internal causes of tics.
Many mothers completely misunderstand the goals and objectives of a pediatric neurologist, and are poorly versed in the methods of his work. At a neurologist's appointment we often meet such energetic, all knowledgeable parents. “Of course, in medical reference book and on the Internet it says that we need pills, but the neurologist is trying to wean our brilliant child away from music and the computer.”

For example, I had a consultation with a boy with his mother and grandmother who complained of involuntary blinking and sniffling. According to my mother, the tics appeared suddenly, out of the blue, there was no stress. And the child is very anxious, tense, his eyes are sad, he twitches his head, constantly grunts and sniffles. The mother says: “Everything is fine in the family and in the kindergarten, there are only calm, positive adults around the child, there seem to be no visible upsets.” However, during the consultation, she pulled the child down twenty times, continuously making comments to him: “Stop blinking like that! Please don't snoop! Stop shaking your head! Sit still! She was constantly dissatisfied with her son: “he didn’t say hello right away, he said the wrong thing, he sat down the wrong way, he looked in the wrong direction.” At the same time, she managed to simultaneously quarrel with her grandmother about parenting methods and talk about complete misunderstanding on the part of her husband. A little more, and I would have “blinked and sniffled” out of chagrin right at the consultation. Yes, if I had to live even a little with such a mother, I would immediately end up in a neurosis clinic. And the baby, it turns out, is great - he “only” has tics.
An attempt to clarify the situation led nowhere; the prospect of routine and psychological correction of tics did not appeal to my mother. She became even more agitated and offended. After reading me a long “scientifically reasoned” lecture about what a neurologist should do during an outpatient appointment, and without waiting for an appointment miracle cure, mother and grandmother continued their active search for a “convenient” specialist... In this family there is such blind confidence in the only possible way treating tics with pills will be the main obstacle to cure... Sad story...

In fact, drug therapy, especially serious psychotropic drugs, is required quite rarely, more often in the case of severe tics, but even then, one cannot do without routine measures and psychological and pedagogical correction. The effectiveness of drugs will be much higher and more stable if you simultaneously decide psychological problems and lead a healthy lifestyle. The side effects of real anti-tic therapy can be quite serious, and in no case should they be even close to comparable with possible benefit. It is quite possible to destroy almost any tics and vocalisms, but to do this without side complications- this is not an easy task.

Simple effective recipes prevention and control of childhood tics

Less pedagogical violence - more love and understanding
Psychologically comfortable and calm environment in the family, kindergarten and school.
Looking for someone to blame, blaming yourself and others for the development of tics is a stupid and harmful activity.
Questions, discussions, comments, especially pestering and swearing at a child regarding tics are strictly prohibited
It is advisable to carry out psychological and pedagogical activities, resolving possible conflicts with peers and teachers at school or kindergarten under the guidance of an experienced child psychologist (otherwise you can break such trouble...)
Reasonable exercise in any kind of sports, intense physical activity, long walks in the fresh air
Restriction or temporary exclusion of communication with a TV, computer and other gaming electronics
The most important thing is a timely visit to a specialist!

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, a mechanism turns on 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 occasionally during periods of increased fatigue, tiredness 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 significantly limit a child's social life and affect their self-esteem.

Any therapy for tics is symptomatic; it does not eliminate the cause of the disease. There are no completely safe drugs that have proven effectiveness in addressing the source of the problem. 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. Such drugs are not prescribed within the framework.

There are a number of diseases that are caused 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.

There is a non-drug method for correcting nervous tics in children - biofeedback therapy (biofeedback), when classes are conducted using a special computer program to influence the functional component of the brain. If biofeedback therapy is required, a neuropsychologist is involved in the management of the patient.

Nervous tic in a child or tic hyperkinesis are the most common psychoneurological disorders that occur in early age. Various studies indicate that this pathology observed in 5-8% of children. Nervous tics in adolescents and others are accompanied by sudden, repetitive movements caused by sudden contractions of various muscles.

A nervous tic is a series of monotonous, repeated involuntary movements that are not controlled by the patient. Motor tics are free in nature - the child cannot resist their appearance.

About a quarter of children periodically suffer from such hyperkinesis. Nervous tics in a child, symptoms and treatment appear at the age of six or seven years, when the child begins to attend school.

Pathological contractions are similar to normal ones. Many patients are able to produce similar contractions, which sometimes leads to difficulties in diagnosis and differentiation. Motor tics should not be restrained or hidden, as this often leads to internal discomfort, anxiety, nervousness and mental stress.

Many patients note that trying to stop a tic is similar to trying to control a sneeze - the discomfort experienced is not worth the effort.

Types of motor tics

There are several modern methods classification of nervous tics. One of the most popular describes the muscle group that such movements capture:

Facial tics – characterized by twitching of the facial muscles, trembling of the eyelids, frequent blinking movements;
Vocal tic - a disorder of contractile movements vocal cords. Often this condition is accompanied by involuntary utterance of sounds;
Hyperkinesis of the limbs - the patient seems to have no control over his arms and legs. Often there is a combination various types tics;

Tics in children, the causes of which can significantly prolong the course of pathologies, are divided into three classes:

Transistor – the observation time for ticks varies from 14 days to one year;
Chronic – movements are observed for more than 12 months;
Secondary tics are a sign of previous ones nervous pathologies which may have serious consequences for the child’s health;

Often the cause of tics in children is various pathologies brain: tumor growth, manifestations of VSD, mental illness, as well as other pathologies internal organs. Diagnostics similar conditions should only be carried out by a qualified medical professional.

Causes of nervous tics

The cause of tic conditions in children is always hidden in a disorder of the nervous system. Dysfunction can be caused by emotional shocks, stressful situations, and fear. In addition, nervous tics in children can cause severe pain, resentment, confusion or anger. Due to various psychophysiological aspects of development, children cannot control emotional condition, which is the cause of the disease.

Another factor in the appearance of hyperkinesis is genetic features individual. So, for example, if parents have a history of tics in the past, then their child is likely to suffer from this pathology as well.

Motor tics can also appear due to a tense situation in the family: lack of love, constant quarrels between parents, a tense atmosphere - all this can become a trigger factor for the disease.

A nervous tic can be cured only by eliminating the source of nervous discomfort. Using pharmacological agents, but leaving excessive workload at school, sports section, club, the proper result will not be observed. It is important to monitor your child’s diet and physical activity to minimize the risk of tics.

Adolescence is characterized by changes hormonal levels, which significantly increases susceptibility to stress and nervous shocks. Depression and anxiety provoke long-term stress conditions at the age of 11-13 years, so you should carefully monitor psychological state child.

A nervous tic of the eye can often be caused by cranial or spinal injuries, as well as organ damage or helminthic infection. There are many reasons for this condition, so you should carefully monitor physical health Your child.

Principles for recognizing tics in a child

In the first periods of manifestation of the disease, parents do not pay attention to minor facial movements, which often leads to a general deterioration of the condition. Treatment of tics depends directly on the causes of the disease.

If your child exhibits at least one sign of the following, then you should contact the appropriate specialist:

Swinging of arms and legs;
Grinding of teeth;
Pulling out hair on the head or wrapping it around your fingers;
Excessively noisy breathing;
Frequent sneezing or grunting;

Older children notice some non-standard movements that strangers point out to them. They often feel embarrassed because of their pathology and try to hide it through their own efforts. Such behavior only leads to worsening of the condition and progression of the disease. Statistics say that boys suffer from hyperkinesis much more often.

There are no involuntary movements observed at night or during sleep. Usually the movements intensify while the child experiences some kind of excitement.

Always remember that a decrease in memory, performance, and cognitive abilities are signs of nervous tics, so when they first appear, it is worth paying more attention to the child’s health condition.

Parents should properly analyze the behavior of their children when involuntary movements occur: the time of appearance of tics, their duration, frequency of occurrence. Before contacting a doctor for help, you should make a video recording of an attack to facilitate the diagnosis process - this will definitely help your child!

Help with nervous tics

The main question for parents is: how to treat nervous tics. The treatment process largely depends on the factors that caused the pathology. This process Sometimes it can take a long time due to the complexity of the process. The initial examination must be carried out by a neurologist. If the need arises, it is possible to involve representatives of other medical specialties.

In many ways, everything depends on the causes of the disease. The organic process in the central nervous system that may cause the disease must be treated to relieve the attacks. If the disease is caused stressful situations, then it is important to exclude them from his life.

Application pharmacological agents It may help, but in the future the toxic effect on the body will be extremely dangerous. The use of sedatives and restoratives, baths and massage to alleviate the symptom complex is often observed.

Sometimes psychotherapists can provide significant help. They can help child's lungs suggestions, as well as communication with family members - it is often possible to find the source of the problem with their help.

Temporary tics should not be treated, as they often disappear on their own.

Treatment with pharmacological agents

Often, children's hyperkinesis goes away on its own after a certain period of time; medical intervention is usually not required. You must visit a doctor if involuntary movements are constant over a long period of time.

Pharmacological agents are prescribed after proper examination. For example, mild sedatives are used to relieve stress and anxiety in a child.

Hyperkinesis caused by central nervous system pathology, hereditary diseases or internal organ disorder should be treated symptomatically. Sometimes it is necessary surgical intervention to remove organic or foreign formations that caused the disease.

As mentioned earlier, several sessions of psychotherapy should help, but they must be attended by all family members. Remember that only A complex approach to the problem can give answers to the question of how to cure a nervous tic.

Folk help for nervous tics

The experience of past generations offers a number of recipes and remedies that provide significant relief. They often help not only with general nervous tics, but also help, for example, to cure nervous tics of the eye.

Decoctions from healing flower Chamomile is made as follows: add several chamomile flowers to a glass of warm water, boil for 15 minutes, filter and drink every 3-4 hours. This product has a relaxing and mild sedative effect that will calm your child.

Dried leaves of fragrant rue and plantain, one spoonful at a time, are mixed with three spoons of anise seeds, poured with 0.5 liters of water and boiled for about 10-15 minutes. Then add honey and lemon to taste. The chilled drink is taken 2-3 tablespoons with meals.

Also showing good results herbal teas, which calm the baby and allow him to truly take a break from all the hardships of the world around him.

Alternative medicine techniques

There is often an opinion among parents that various secrets of Tibet, procedures of healers and psychics can help their child.

On the one hand, their help can be effective in terms of phytotherapeutic and other relaxing procedures that balance the child’s psyche and emotions and help him cope with stress.

Palpation and acupressure may also help. Mild stimulation of various muscle groups causes a reflex relaxation of tense muscle fibers. Often, a complex of herbal “treatments” is also used with these methods.

Remember that sorcerers and other shamans have no influence on the baby’s health - they are just a waste of time and money.

Good results are shown by various physiotherapeutic procedures that increase blood circulation in muscle structures. In recent years, the electrosleep procedure has shown good results in the treatment of hyperkinesis, since weakened low-frequency radiation has a beneficial effect on various brain structures.

The electrosleep procedure improves the emotional spectrum of a small patient, increases blood circulation, intensifies metabolic processes in the brain and other tissues. To achieve a therapeutic effect, about 10-12 procedures are required.

What to pay attention to

Parents, remember that a nervous tic is the child’s problem, not his fault. Don't blame the baby for unusual behavior– first you need to conduct covert surveillance of him in order to identify the true problem. If the latter has been identified, do not focus the child’s attention on it, try to secretly help the little patient.

If the baby notices the parents’ anxiety in terms of his health, this will only lead to a worsening of his condition. There is no need to make a tragedy out of visiting a doctor. In the modern world, the real calling of a doctor is not in treating diseases, but in preventing them. In any case, an examination by an appropriate specialist will benefit the child’s health.

Do not forget that an overly tense atmosphere in the home adversely affects all aspects of the child’s health: physical and mental. Increased loads, excessive demands, negativity - all this can lead to nervous disorders at the patient.

Also try to exclude the flow of negative information from the outside world. Television, the Internet, news from people around you can ruin your mood or scare not only you, but also your child.

So, despite the fact that nervous tics are common in children, there is no need to make a tragedy out of it. Try to reassure the child and convince him that absolutely all his problems can be solved. Create peace and comfort in his life, and then it will change in better side. In this case, you will certainly see positive changes not only in his life, but also in your life!

Even a prolonged manifestation of nervous tics should not frighten you. Contact a competent specialist who will certainly dispel all your fears and help your little patient.

In the modern world, a child is exposed to a huge number of irritating factors, which, one way or another, affect his nervous system, causing certain disruptions. One of these manifestations is a nervous tic in a child. A nervous tic is a violent contraction of one or more muscle groups or a cyclic action or the production of some kind of sound that occurs suddenly and cannot be controlled by a person. What types of nervous tics are there in children, the causes of their occurrence and treatment options will be discussed in this article.

Nervous tics are also called hyperkinesis. It can occur suddenly, and the child has no influence on it.

Approximately 60–70% of modern children suffer from nervous tics to one degree or another. In most cases, these are harmless attacks, however, when the tic becomes obsessive, it is best to consult a doctor.

Causes

The reasons for the formation of a nervous tic in a teenager or infant are different. As for children infancy, then often the main cause is birth trauma, which also leads to disturbances in the nervous system.

In teenagers and young children preschool age The causes of tics can be:

Psychological factors.
Physiological factors.

Psychological reasons

Oddly enough, the behavior of children during the so-called transition (crisis) period can cause the formation of a nervous tic in a child. For example, at three years old, a small member of society wants to prove that he can do everything on his own, and the parents’ excessive care and his sincere misunderstanding and stubbornness creates a huge burden on the baby’s body, leading to the formation of tics.

Unhealthy atmosphere in the family or educational institution also affects the child’s nervous system.

Strong emotional shocks (fright of a dog, death of a close relative or pet, quarrel between parents, etc.) can serve as a catalyst in the development of the disease. In addition, excessive strictness in education is one of the psychological factors development of nervous tics in children.

Physiological reasons

These factors are the most extensive compared to the first and include the following reasons:

accompanying illnesses;
taking medications;
maintaining improper sleep and wakefulness patterns;
helminths;
abuse of a computer or cell phone;
abuse of tonic drinks;
insufficient lighting in the evening;
lack of magnesium and calcium and other trace elements in the body.

Options for children's tics

Naturally, a child may have several types of this disease. And some manifestations are not taken into account by adults at all, since no one would even think of attributing, for example, nose sniffing to a nervous tic (there are undoubtedly more options).

So, a nervous tic in a child is divided into:

mimic;
vocal;
tic limbs.

In addition, this disease is classified according to its duration:

primary;

Transistor (lasts from a week to one year).
Chronic (lasts quite a long time, often several years).

Mimic

This type of nervous tic manifests itself in the facial muscles, and that is why it is called facial (after the name of the muscle group).

Facial tics include:

cyclical blinking of the eyes;
eye twitching;
uncontrolled lip movement;
contraction of the paralabial muscles.

Vocal

This type is the second most common after the mimic type and its peculiarity lies in the uncontrolled production of sounds, up to the shouting of words and entire sentences.

In addition to pronouncing words, sounds can be:

clucking;
sniff;
tongue clicking;
coughing;
loud intake of air through the mouth (often the lips are folded together and air is drawn in through the corners of the mouth).

Tick limbs

This type of illness is the least common and consists of the patient’s partial or complete loss of control over his limb or limbs.

This disease can manifest itself in the form of:

snapping fingers;
tapping your foot on the ground;
tapping hands on the sides of the legs;
uncontrolled gesturing in certain situations.

Thus, the symptoms of tics of the limbs can be different and the correct diagnosis will be made by the doctor in any case.

Diagnostics

It is quite difficult to recognize the presence of a particular illness in a small child. Particularly complex cases can even be diagnosed by an experienced specialist based on complex diagnostic measures. However, if we are talking about simple manifestations, parents are able to recognize them.

So, who has a similar illness, as a rule, becomes irritable and hyperexcited. Parents may notice that the baby is grinding his teeth and cannot sit in one place.

Often these children have reduced performance, mental activity(this does not indicate the presence mental disabilities), bad memory.

Boys are at risk, as they suffer from this disease more often than girls.

Parents who begin to notice signs of a nervous tic in their child are recommended to record these manifestations on video and show them to the doctor during the visit.

The doctor makes a diagnosis based on a survey and, in particularly difficult cases, based on complex diagnostics, which may include:

magnetic resonance imaging;
computed tomography;
electroencephalogram.

First aid

As for providing first aid to a child, it should be carried out in the family. The basis is elimination possible reasons, which provoked a nervous tic. This may be an overly difficult atmosphere in the family or team, psychological trauma, etc.

Parents should under no circumstances focus their child’s attention on his problem, as this can only aggravate the situation. The child may already know about the presence of the disease and have complexes about it.

Typically, eliminating primary causes gives a positive result and after 3-4 weeks the nervous tic may stop. If the problem is much more complex, you will need the help of a specialist.

Treatment

Treatment of a nervous tic in a child is practically no different from the treatment of the same disease in adults. There are two treatment options:

Medication.
In folk ways.

How to treat a child using medications? The basis of this treatment is the use of sedatives and sedatives. Depending on the intensity of the tic and the duration of the disease, both relatively weak (tincture of valerian, motherwort) and quite strong, even tranquilizers, can be prescribed.

In addition, massage is also indicated for such ailments. It relieves nervous tension from the child’s body and calms the excited nervous system.

In the presence of concomitant disease, doctor in mandatory will prescribe treatment for this disease. Eliminating the cause of the tic will help stop it.

Folk remedies

How to treat a nervous tic in a baby at home? Typically, treatment folk remedies is aimed at reducing nervous tension and should be carried out in combination with medication to increase effectiveness.

Some traditional medicine recipes:

Chamomile tincture - a small handful of chamomile petals is infused for 15 minutes in 200 ml boiled water, after which they drink half a glass every four hours. This tincture has a calming effect

Valerian root tincture - a teaspoon of crushed valerian root is boiled in a water bath in 200 ml of water for 15 minutes. The resulting decoction can be given to the baby one teaspoon half an hour after meals and before bedtime. The decoction has a calming effect.

Hawthorn tincture - pour half a glass of hot water over two tablespoons of hawthorn fruit and leave for 15–20 minutes. It is recommended to drink the tincture a few minutes before meals (15–20).

Geranium compress - crushed geranium leaves are applied to the site of a nervous tic for 15 minutes and fixed with a thick cloth. This compress helps relieve tension from the site of muscle contraction.

A bath with the addition of sea salt and pine needles. Regularly taking such a bath has a relaxing effect on the child’s body.

What to do if none of the above remedies help? It may be necessary to resort to the services of a child psychologist, as well as a family psychologist, since often the problem is in the family.

Prevention

Prevention of this disease consists of following the following recommendations:

Thus, following the recommendations listed above will reduce the risk of your baby developing a nervous tic.

So, this disease in children is not dangerous to health, however, it indicates the presence of some disorders in the nervous system that require attention from parents. Spend time with your children and take care of their health!

Have you noticed that your child has begun to blink involuntarily or twitch his shoulders frequently? Perhaps he has a nervous tic. What caused it? Maybe the child recently had colds or did something scare him? Let's turn to a specialist...

Tics are lightning-fast involuntary contractions of muscles, most often of the face and limbs (blinking, raising eyebrows, twitching the cheek, corner of the mouth, shrugging, shuddering, etc.).

In terms of frequency, tics occupy one of the leading places among neurological diseases childhood. Tics occur in 11% of girls and 13% of boys. Under the age of 10 years, tics occur in 20% of children (i.e., every fifth child). Tics appear in children aged 2 to 18 years, but there are 2 peaks - 3 years and 7-11 years.

A distinctive feature of tics from convulsive muscle contractions in other diseases: a child can reproduce and partially control tics; tics do not occur when voluntary movements(for example, when picking up a cup and drinking from it).

The severity of tics may vary depending on the time of year, day, mood, and nature of activities. Their localization also changes (for example, a child experienced involuntary blinking, which after some time was replaced by an involuntary shrug), and this does not indicate a new disease, but a relapse (repetition) of an existing disorder. Typically, tics intensify when a child watches TV or stays in one position for a long time (for example, while sitting in class or in public transport). Tics weaken and even disappear completely during the game, when performing interesting task, which requires complete concentration (for example, when reading an exciting story), the child loses interest in his activities, tics appear again with increasing force. The child can suppress tics for a short time, but this requires great self-control and subsequent release.

Psychologically, children with tics are characterized by:

attention disorders;
disturbance of perception;

In children with tics, the development of motor skills and coordinated movements is difficult, the smoothness of movements is impaired, and the execution of motor acts is slowed down.

Children with severe tics have significant disturbances in spatial perception.

Classification of ticks

motor tics (blinking, cheek twitching, shrugging, tense nose, etc.);
vocal tics (coughing, snoring, grunting, sniffling);
rituals (walking in a circle);
generalized forms of tics (when one child has not one tic, but several).

In addition, there are simple tics that involve only the muscles of the eyelids or arms or legs, and complex tics - movements that simultaneously occur in different muscle groups.

Tick flow

The disease can last from several hours to many years.
The severity of tics can range from almost imperceptible to severe (leading to the inability to go outside).
The frequency of tics varies throughout the day.
Treatment: from complete cure to ineffectiveness.
Associated behavioral disturbances may be subtle or severe.

Causes of tics

There is a widespread view among parents and teachers that “nervous” children suffer from tics. However, it is known that all children are “nervous,” especially during periods of the so-called crisis (periods active struggle for independence), for example, at 3 years and 6-7 years, and tics appear only in some children.

Tics are often combined with hyperactive behavior and attention disorders (ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), low mood (depression), anxiety, ritualistic and obsessive behavior (pulling out hair or wrapping it around a finger, biting nails, etc.). In addition, a child with tics usually cannot tolerate transport and stuffy rooms, gets tired quickly, gets tired of sights and activities, sleeps restlessly or has trouble falling asleep.

The role of heredity

Tics appear in children with a hereditary predisposition: parents or relatives of children with tics may themselves suffer from obsessive movements or thoughts. It has been scientifically proven that tics:

are more easily provoked in males;
boys suffer from tics more severely than girls;
Children develop tics at an earlier age than their parents;
If a child has tics, it is often discovered that his male relatives also suffer from tics, and his female relatives suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Parental behavior

Despite important role heredity, developmental characteristics and emotional and personal traits of the child, his character and ability to withstand the influence of the outside world are formed within the family. An unfavorable ratio of verbal (speech) and nonverbal (non-speech) communications in the family contributes to the development of anomalies of behavior and character. For example, constant shouting and countless remarks lead to inhibition of the child’s free physiological activity (and this is different for each child and depends on temperament), which can be replaced by a pathological form in the form of tics and obsessions.

At the same time, children from mothers who raise children in an atmosphere of permissiveness remain infantile, which predisposes them to the development of tics.

Tic provocation: psychological stress

If a child with a hereditary predisposition and an unfavorable type of upbringing suddenly encounters a problem that is too much for him (psychotraumatic factor), tics develop. As a rule, the adults around the child do not know what triggered the appearance of tics. That is, for everyone except the child himself, the external situation seems normal. As a rule, he does not talk about his experiences. But at such moments, the child becomes more demanding of loved ones, seeks close contact with them, and requires constant attention. Nonverbal types of communication are activated: gestures and facial expressions. Laryngeal coughing becomes more frequent, which is similar to sounds such as grunting, smacking, sniffling, etc., that occur during thoughtfulness or embarrassment. Laryngeal coughing always increases with anxiety or danger. Movements in the hands arise or intensify - fingering the folds of clothing, twirling hair on a finger. These movements are involuntary and unconscious (the child may sincerely not remember what he just did), intensify with excitement and tension, clearly reflecting the emotional state. Teeth grinding may also occur during sleep, often in combination with nightmares and nightmares.

All these movements, having arisen once, can gradually disappear on their own. But if the child does not find support from others, they become fixed in the form of a pathological habit and then transform into tics.

Often the appearance of tics is preceded by acute viral or other serious illnesses. Parents often say that, for example, after a severe illness their child became nervous, capricious, did not want to play alone, and only then tics appeared. Inflammatory eye diseases are often complicated by subsequent tics in the form of blinking; Long-term ENT diseases contribute to the appearance of obsessive coughing, snoring, and grunting.

Thus, for tics to appear, three factors must coincide.

Hereditary predisposition.
Miseducation(presence of intra-family conflict; increased demands and control (overprotection); increased adherence to principles, uncompromising parents; formal attitude towards the child (hypoprotection), lack of communication.
Acute stress, provoking the appearance of tics.

The mechanism of development of tics

If a child constantly has internal anxiety or, as people say, “an uneasy soul,” stress becomes chronic. Anxiety itself is a necessary protective mechanism that allows you to prepare for it in advance of a dangerous event and speed up reflex activity, increase reaction speed and acuity of the senses, use all the body’s reserves for survival in extreme conditions. In a child who often experiences stress, the brain is constantly in a state of anxiety and anticipation of danger. The ability to voluntarily suppress (inhibit) unnecessary activity of brain cells is lost. The child's brain does not rest; Even in his sleep he is haunted by terrible images and nightmares. As a result, the body's adaptation systems are gradually depleted. Irritability and aggressiveness appear, and academic performance decreases. And in children who have an initial predisposition to a deficiency in inhibition of pathological reactions in the brain, harmful psychotraumatic factors cause the development of tics.

Tics and behavioral disorders

Children with tics always exhibit neurotic disorders in the form of low mood, internal anxiety, and a tendency to internal “self-examination.” Characterized by irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances, which requires consultation with a qualified psychiatrist.

It should be noted that in some cases tics are the first symptom of a more severe neurological |and mental illness, which may develop after some time. Therefore, a child with tics should be carefully examined by a neurologist, psychiatrist and psychologist.

Diagnosis of tics

The diagnosis is established during an examination by a neurologist. In this case, video recording at home is useful, because... the child tries to suppress or hide his tics when communicating with the doctor.

A psychological examination of the child is mandatory to identify his emotional and personal characteristics, concomitant disorders of attention, memory, control of impulsive behavior in order to diagnose variants of the course of tics; identifying provoking factors; as well as further psychological and medicinal correction.

In some cases, a neurologist prescribes a number of additional examinations (electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging), based on a conversation with parents, the clinical picture of the disease, and a consultation with a psychiatrist.

Medical diagnoses

Transient (passing) tic disorder characterized by simple or complex motor tics, short, repetitive, difficult-to-control movements, and mannerisms. The child experiences tics every day for 4 weeks but less than 1 year.

Chronic tic disorder characterized by rapid, repeated uncontrolled movements or vocalizations (but not both) occurring almost daily for more than 1 year.

Treatment of tics

To correct tics, it is recommended to first eliminate provoking factors. Of course, it is necessary to observe a sleep and nutrition schedule, and adequate physical activity.
Family psychotherapy is effective in cases where the analysis of intrafamily relationships reveals a chronic traumatic situation. Psychotherapy is useful even when harmonious relationships in the family, because it allows the child and parents to change negative attitude to ticks. In addition, parents should remember that what is said in a timely manner sweet Nothing, touch, joint activities (for example, baking cookies or a walk in the park) help the child cope with accumulated unresolved problems, eliminate anxiety and tension. It is necessary to talk more with the child, walk with him more often and play His games.
Psychological correction.
- It can be carried out individually - to develop areas of mental activity (attention, memory, self-control) and reduce internal anxiety while simultaneously working on self-esteem (using games, conversations, drawings and other psychological techniques).
- Can be done as a group activity with other children (who have tics or other behavioral characteristics) - to develop the sphere of communication and play out possible conflict situations. At the same time, the child has the opportunity to choose the most optimal behavior in a conflict (to “rehearse” it in advance), which reduces the likelihood of exacerbation of tics.
Drug treatment for tics should begin when the possibilities of previous methods have already been exhausted. Medications are prescribed by a neurologist depending on the clinical picture and additional survey data.
- Basic therapy for tics includes 2 groups of drugs: those with anti-anxiety effects (antidepressants) - phenibut, Zoloft, Paxil, etc.; reducing the severity of motor phenomena - tiapridal, teralen, etc.
- TO basic therapy as an additional drug, drugs that improve metabolic processes in the brain can be added ( nootropic drugs), vascular drugs, vitamins.
  The duration of drug therapy after the complete disappearance of tics is 6 months, then you can slowly reduce the dose of the drug until complete withdrawal.

Forecast for children who developed tics at the age of 6-8 years, favorable (i.e. the tics go away without a trace).

The early onset of tics (3-6 years) is typical for their long course, until adolescence, when the tics gradually decrease.

If tics appear before age 3, they are usually a symptom of something serious illness(eg schizophrenia, brain tumors, etc.). In these cases, a thorough examination of the child is required.