Tic Mythology 14 - Transient Tics

Transient tics are “short-term” tics. They usually come and go and never come back!
These kinds of tics are fairly common in young children as their brains are developing. Estimates vary a bit (naturally), but what I’ve usually seen is that 20-30% of kids will show some transient tics as they’re growing up, but comparatively few (around 2-5%) will develop persistent tics. Parents are naturally likely to become concerned when they see their child doing something that doesn’t appear to make sense. So this video is mostly intended to provide some information and a little reassurance that this is not that uncommon to see.
If a child develops transient tics that stick around for a while (like 2 weeks), then parents can ask with curiosity what’s going on and what it is like for the child. There is a good chance the child is not even aware of it, but if they are, they may be able to tell you what it feels like. Approaching it with curiosity is helpful so the child does not become stressed about the tic (which can feed into that negative reinforcement loop mentioned in earlier videos).
If a child has a transient tic and it is sticking around for a couple of months or more, then it can be helpful to ask their pediatrician or other medical provider about it. It may be a persistent tic, which could be noted and possibly addressed if needed. There are other movement phenomena that can also look like a persistent tic and a medical provider should be able to help determine what’s going on and what should be done (if anything).