They appear due to stress
The most common tics are coughing, hoarse voice, teeth grinding, nail biting, frequent blinking, grimacing, twisting or biting a strand of hair, stuttering and shrugging. The main cause that leads to their appearance is stress, so that even the little ones get stressed.
Children are unable to express their anxieties, and tics are the way they overcome their fear and release tension. Tics are also a means of drawing the attention of those around them that they need help.
Try to discover the cause
To correct your nervous gestures, you must first find out the cause that determines them. Among the situations that trigger tics are the change of residence or school, the birth of a sibling or the tense atmosphere in the house.
Eliminates stress factors
It is not the tics that need to be eliminated, but the stressor that causes them. Until then, it is very unlikely that they will disappear. The worst thing you can do is ignore your child, thinking that the tics will go away on their own. Approach the problem calmly, without drawing too much attention to the tics.
The child is not aware that he is making those gestures and should not be punished or scolded. If you get angry, you only increase his anxiety. Encourage him to express his feelings, to talk about what bothers him or upsets him. Once the stressor is removed, the automatic gestures will diminish and then disappear.
What not to do
Do not blame him, do not scold him and do not punish him, because tics are involuntary. Criticism or irony increase his fear, the little one will feel guilty because he cannot control himself, and the frequency of tics will increase.
Advice
If you notice that the tics start to negatively influence his social or school life, it is good to contact a psychologist.
