Awareness Training
Raising your finger when a tic occurs.
What is "catching a tic?"
An involuntary, jerky or non-rhythmic movement that occurs without the person's complete awareness.
What is a motor tic?
Tics can cause muscle soreness. Tics also may become more frequent with stress.
Why is relaxation helpful for treating tics?
Anything that makes a tic more likely to happen.
What is a reinforcer?
A movement that uses the opposite muscles of the tic and makes the tic impossible to happen.
What is a competing response?
Define your tic and the muscles involved.
How do you become aware of tics?
A sound or word that a person makes without complete awareness or control.
What is a vocal tic?
Pick a relaxation exercise.
What is deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, body scan, or your favorite relaxation exercise?
Excitement, boredom, stress, anger.
What are feelings that may increase tics?
Can be held for at least one minute or until the urge passes.
How long should you use a competing response?
The process of learning to notice tics and the signals that come before them.
What is awareness training?
Tics usually start between ages 5 and 7.
When do tics start?
An active process of calming our bodies and lowering stress.
What is relaxation?
Getting a hug after doing several tics in a row. Leaving a classroom after tics. Being told to stop after tics.
What is a consequence?
Something that is less annoying than the tic, can be done with just your own body, and uses specific (opposite muscles).
What makes a good competing response?
In order to proceed with developing a competing response, you should be able to "catch" the tic 60% of the time.
How long should you practice awareness training?
A disorder in which a person has multiple motor tics and one or more vocal tic before age 18.
What is Tourette Syndrome?
Deep breathing works best when it is practiced for 10 minutes a day for at least two weeks.
How long should I practice deep breathing?
Limiting the amount of time sitting for an extended period. Not responding to a tic after it happens. Telling a teacher to break down assignments into smaller pieces to lower stress.
What are function based interventions?
When should I use a competing response?
A signal that comes before the tic that might feel like tension, itchiness, tingling, or tightening.
What is a premonitory urge?
Tics occur when a signal from the brain does not tell the muscles to stop. Tics are also affected by environmental reactions.
A process of tensing and relaxing muscles.
What is progressive muscle relaxation?
The process of identifying triggers and reactions that might make tics happen more often.
What is function based assessment?
Come up with a competing response for a barking tic.
What is slow controlled breathing?