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Little boy ticking

NAS66449

Hi 

My six year old son  has been constantly ticking over the past month. It's that much that even when reading his school book he has to tick after every line. 

He came home  from school last week and told me the teachers keep telling him off for making his.noises but sadly said "but I can't help it mum". I have sorted it with school and asked can they not pull him up on it again as he really   cannot help it but I really want to try and find out why he is doing it so much. I'm worrying he's stressed and I'm not picking him up on it ? What  can I do to help him ? Any ideas really appreciated 

  • in reply to Trogluddite

    Thank you so much I really appreciate your advice 

  • Welcome to the forum,

    First thing; good for you setting the school straight - being singled out for attention due to ticcing is only likely to make the compulsion to do it stronger, and being told off for uncontrollable behaviours is unfair and could lead to anxiety about going to school.

    The causes of ticcing are very poorly understood. There is some evidence that brain chemistry is involved in some cases; but for most people, no particular cause can be identified. The need to do it is rather similar to scratching an itch; a very uncomfortable feeling builds up that seems to have no particular cause, and performing the tic gives instant relief from that sensation for a while.

    In the vast majority of cases, a tic will go away of it's own accord; though other temporary tics might recur, not always the same each time. They are also far more common than most people realise; it's very unfortunate for your son that his is far more noticeable than most. Chronic tics (usually defined as those lasting a year or more) are much, much rarer, though a little more likely in the presence of autism, ADHD, or other neurological conditions. It is probably best to allow it to subside by itself unless it shows no sign of fading after several months, in which case you should seek help from a professional. As I said above, self-consciousness about a tic often just makes the compulsion to do it stronger, and while many people can suppress their tics to a degree, this is very difficult and extremely stressful. Again, you're doing just the right thing by accepting it as an uncontrollable behaviour which he has no reason to be ashamed of, and by correcting any unsympathetic people who try to force him to suppress it.

    Tics do often become more prevalent when we're anxious. And at your son's age, increased anxiety isn't unusual due to the transition to school - we're surrounded by very many more people for long periods of time than we've known before, and paying attention to teachers and doing schoolwork are a big increase in the demands on our brain. So it is wise to keep an eye on his anxiety levels, especially whether there are any particular tasks or situations which make him tic more (and for an autistic child, this could be simply the burble of children's voices, or school uniform feeling uncomfortable). And of course, as you no doubt do already, reassure him that if anyone gives him a hard time for his tic, he should always let you or a sympathetic teacher know about it.

    Best wishes.