“Tics are not a habit and children do not perform them on purpose. They are involuntary movements or sounds that the child can temporarily hold off, but it is very tiring for him,” explains paediatrician and paediatric neurolog Dr. Jasna Oražem Mrak.
The most common are simple motor tics, such as blinking, head-shaking or shoulder shrugging, among vocal tics, coughing, sneezing and clearing the throat. Experts estimate that about one in five children experiences transient tics at some point, most of which spontaneously resolve within a few weeks or months. Tourette’s syndrome is still a topic of public interest, although parents often notice that tics become more pronounced during periods of stress, fatigue or major life changes.
“It is not their main cause,” stresses Dr. Oražem Mrak. “Stress is not their main cause.”
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