Tics for children

Tics for small children

Tics can also occur in infancy. They express themselves similarly to tics in childhood. It has been observed that tics in toddlers often appeared when there was a change in the toddlers’ daily routine.

Triggers can be, for example, entering kindergarten, moving house, divorce or other reasons. It is assumed that, due to evolutionary reasons, humans and infants have a special need for rituals that offer them security. Especially in situations where great upheavals are felt to be taking place, tension and uncertainty can be great.

Accordingly, the desire for relaxation and security can grow. A kind of ritual in the form of training tics or “quirks” can arise from this. This can be particularly pronounced in small children.

The difference between compulsive actions and the involuntary tics is sometimes difficult to recognize. Both can occur for the reasons described above – but do not have to. In the same way, the development of a tic or a “quirk” of a toddler does not necessarily have to have a psychological cause, but develops apparently without reason.

Connections with the development of the brain are taken into consideration, which can also play a role in the formation of tics in baby or infancy. In most cases, these tics and “quirks” are harmless and often disappear just as suddenly as they were created. For tics in toddlers, the same principles regarding parents and environment as for tics in elementary school age children apply as far as possible.

In toddlers it is usually not possible to gain conditional control over tics through the kind of perception training that is supportive in adults and older children. This is because, among others, the brain is not yet fully developed and differently developed at this age. In any case, it is helpful to give the child the confidence that it can handle any situation and express its feelings and fears in its own way. Education and integration of the kindergarten teachers and other people who have to do with the child is very beneficial.