Alexander Center > Common Conditions > Tic disorders

Common conditions

This section includes conditions that can be evaluated and treated by Alexander Center professionals.

	[ hide list ] A B C | D E F | G H I | J K L | M N O | P Q R | S T U | V W | X Y Z Asperger's disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Auditory processing disorder Autism spectrum disorders   Bed-wetting, soiling Bed-wetting (enuresis) Behavioral problems Childhood apraxia of speech Chronic motor tic Developmental disorders Developmental dyslexia Emotional disorders Fluency disorder, stuttering Habit disorders Learning disorders Mathematics disorder Mixed receptive and expressive language disorder Pervasive development disorder Phonological disorder Psychophysiological disorders Soiling (encopresis) Speech, language disorders Tic disorders Tourette's syndrome Written expression disorders No conditions are available for this section.

Tic disorders

Tic disorders cause involuntary movements, actions or sounds that are quick, repetitive and stereotypical (looks or sounds the same each time it occurs). They can affect the muscles or the vocal cords. Muscle (motor) tics are much more common than vocal tics. Tic disorders tend to be worsened by stress, anxiety or sleepiness. Tics are often transient (gone within 12 months) but sometimes become chronic (lasting longer than 12 months). Tourette’s syndrome involves multiple motor and vocal tics.

Most children’s tic disorders lessen or disappear entirely as they get older. For those whose tic disorders do not disappear or lessen, the disorder is considered chronic and will occur throughout a lifetime.

Symptoms

Symptoms of tic disorders depend on whether they are muscle-related or vocal. All symptoms are uncontrollable, rapid and repetitive.

• Examples of muscle-related tic disorders include rapid eye blinking, eye widening, grimacing, head jerking and shrugging.
• Examples of vocal-related tic disorders include throat clearing, sniffing, barking, making animal noises and snorting.

Tests, treatment

To be diagnosed with a tic disorder, your child will need to see a doctor for a thorough exam to rule out any other possible disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It may be helpful to your doctor if you have a videotape of your child having the tic, in case the tic is not present during your child’s doctor visit.

Tic disorders can be treated through behavioral therapy, medicine or a mixture of both. Less severe cases are generally treated with behavioral therapy.

See also Tourette's syndrome, chronic motor tic

Services

Biofeedback and self-regulation 
Psychological services 
Medication management
Therapy