Guest guest Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 , It's interesting that this comes up, as I was just reading an article on tics yesterday in one of my journals. It turns out that tics peak in intensity between 10-12 yo, and then decline to lower levels by age 18. Eye blinking, as I'm sure a dozen will tell you, can be either a stim (a way of entertaining themselves), or a tic (a compulsion that creates anxiety until the action is performed). While stims are treated with a behavioral approach, trying to prevent a tic actually leads to a buildup of anxiety, so that most of the child's energy is put into preventing the action instead of paying attention to you. So if this is a tic, I would advise against trying to modify it behaviorally. On the other hand, if the tic is not interfering a great deal, it is possible that ignoring it as long as it's of minor significance would be an acceptable way of dealing with it. Many many children have simple tics, and simply having them does not necessarily lead to a diagnosis of Tourette's. Tourette's is a more complicated, longer lasting, disorder that combines both vocal and motor tics. Eye blinking is considered a simple tic, whereas something like head-turning or scratching would be a complicated tic. HTH, and I haven't regurgitated too much of the article back at you Naomi _________________________________________________________________ Discover the best of the best at MSN Luxury Living. http://lexus.msn.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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