Treating Young People with Tics
Uncontrollable tics can make life miserable, especially for a child or adolescent. Relaxation training, respiratory retraining and biofeedback can help an individual perceive the building arousal that often precedes a motor tic. That awareness allows them to “abort” or prevent the motor discharge of the tic before it occurs. The secret is learning a new kind of self-control, one without effort. This combination of awareness and effortless self-control can be enhanced with the use of biofeedback to monitor the body prior to the emergence of the tic.