Tics are involuntary movements that can only be suppressed for a short time with considerable effort. They are not rhythmic; they are rapid, purposeless, and repetitive, movements that are nearly identical to one another. Tics may be simple such as excessive blinking, grimacing, or head jerking and may have begun from nervous habits. Tics may also be complex, as those in Tourette's syndrome, and may resemble fragments of normal behavior.

Many simple tics begin in childhood and disappear without treatment. They may be a side effect to a medication, or indicate another disorder, such as Huntington's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, an infection, or a stroke.

Usually people have trouble controlling tics because the urge becomes irresistible, especially during periods of emotional stress. In children, calling attention to a tic may make it worse. Reassurance is usually the best treatment for simple tics and ignoring them as much as possible.

In older child or special needs adoption, peculiar behaviors including tics are to be expected. It is very common for these children to be on multiple medications to deal with medical problems and to help them cope with years of neglect and emotional abuse. Tics are a common side effect of some medications.

Tourette's syndrome may affect one out of every 100 people and often begins in early childhood. Men are three times more likely to be affected than women are. Symptoms can be so mild in people that nobody recognizes that they have the disorder. It is thought to be caused by an abnormality in dopamine or another brain neurotransmitter.

Obsessive compulsive behaviors are also quite common in special needs children adopted from the foster care system or orphanages. The children may have used them as coping mechanisms in their previous environments. Some of these obsessive compulsive behaviors would fall into the category of simple tics such as excessive blinking, lip licking, and inappropriate laughter.

In our years of fostering and adopting children, we have had children who lick their lips until they crack and bleed. We have daughters who constantly crack their knuckles, twirl pieces of their hair, or eat their hair, and smile or laugh at inappropriate times. One of our daughters would rearrange store shelves when she saw something out of place, unfortunately that didn’t seem to include her bedroom.



Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2007