About the method
The educational method I use is based on exercises that a child performs daily in the safety and comfort of their own home, with caregiver’s support.
No special equipment is required.
A Unique Non-pharmacological Approach
How It Works?
01. Daily Repetition
Sessions with me take place several times a week, and are used to introduce new exercises, improve the performance and track progress. Aside from sessions, the child repeats assigned exercises every day, so that they become a routine. Well-mastered initial exercises serve as the basis for more complex exercises that follow. Each exercise is repeated a certain number of times, which can also gradually increase.
During the sessions, a parent/guardian is always present to monitor the work of their child, providing the child with love and support!
02. Parental support
Dedicated caregivers are the child’s main allies. During the sessions, I aim to pass on the knowledge to the parents/guardians, allowing them to guide their child through the daily practices. The parents and I work together to create an enjoyable and engaging atmosphere for the child.
03. A simple start and individual work pace
As with learning other skills (sports, playing an instrument), we start with simple activities. Gradually, the complexity of the exercises and number of repetitions will increase. I will adjust the pace to each child, based on their progress, needs and abilities.
04. Praise and support
The method I use is all about the proper support and guidance. It means that the child receives praise for successful work even if the exercise was not completely performed.
The aim is to motivate the child to improve their performance technique during the future sessions.
Persistence and motivation are essential!
The Basics of The Method
Tics are classified as movement disorders
Everything we do is a form of movement. More specifically, it is the contraction of a muscle or group of muscles. This includes complex activities, such as speech (the synchronised action of a large number of muscles of the mouth, tongue, larynx, etc.), breathing, or even “just” looking at something (which requires the coordinated action of eye movement muscles).
While many of our movements are conscious and wanted, for some people certain, often complex, movements are not.
Tics, which are sudden, rapid, recurrent, non-rhythmic movements, can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, from blinking, through complex actions, to repeating other people’s words.
Learning new movements requires a large number of repetitions. Acquiring skills or practicing a series of movements that are performed quickly and in a certain order (playing an instrument, sports agility) is a process that we have all experienced. At first, the movements are clumsy and require our full attention. After a large number of repetitions, movements become smooth, and are performed without thinking.
All movements are regulated by nerve cells. Learning new movements is thought to be achieved by changing the way that the groups of nerve cells are connected in different parts of the brain, one of which is of particular importance when it comes to tics – it is called striatum (see my blog posts about it!)
That same part of the brain is also key in deciding whether a movement will occur or not. We can use the gas and brake analogy here to understand how a movement happens. Movement will occur if striatum is “pressing the gas pedal”, and/or “releasing the break pedal” on the nerve impulses passing through it on the way to other parts of the brain.
The method I use helps to redirect the existing connections between nerve cells and replace them with the healthy ones, thus improving muscle control. One interpretation of tics is that they are unwanted, but still voluntary type of movement that managed to break through striatum’s filter (too much “gas“ or too little “brake“), and by repetition came to behave like a practiced action that plays out without thinking – basically, a bad habit.
By learning and performing a large number of repetitions in a certain order, these exercises may redirect the existing brain connections engaged in controlling the activity of both large muscle groups, as well as those involved in fine and precise movements. To achieve this, it is important to practice maintaining attention and concentration both during conscious contraction, as well as during conscious progressive relaxation. The purpose of this is to rebalance the ratio of activity of those systems for promoting (“gas”) and suppressing (“brake”) movements that are involved in the genesis of tics.