Tics & Tourette
What Are Tics and Tourette?
Let’s start with the basics: tics are sudden, fast movements or sounds that a person does repeatedly. Think of them like hiccups or sneezes—only they come from the brain’s quirky little wiring. There are two main types of tics: Motor tics, like blinking, head jerking, or shoulder shrugging and Vocal tics, like throat clearing, sniffing, or humming.
Tics usually begin in childhood and often change over time. Some come and go, and some stick around for a while. When someone has both motor and vocal tics for over a year, we call it Tourette Syndrome. It sounds fancy, but really, it's just one way of describing how a person’s brain processes and releases these urges.
Tics are not a sign of a behavioral problem, bad parenting, or attention-seeking. They're just something the body does, and while they’re often harmless, tics can sometimes get in the way of daily life or make kids (and adults!) feel frustrated, embarrassed, or misunderstood.
But here’s the good news: there are ways to help!
What Is CBIT?
Enter CBIT (pronounced "see-bit")—Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics. Don’t let the long name fool you—it’s a simple, supportive, and science-backed approach that helps people gain more control over their tics.
CBIT is like a superpower training program. It teaches:
- Awareness – recognizing the early feeling that a tic is about to happen (like a little itch or tingle).
- Competing responses – learning to do a different, less noticeable action that helps stop the tic in its tracks.
- Lifestyle tweaks – managing stress, sleep, and situations that tend to make tics pop up more often.
Think of it as detective work mixed with a bit of physical training. With practice, people can reduce how often tics happen and how strong they feel. It’s not about erasing tics completely but giving the person more control—and more confidence.
CBIT doesn’t involve medication, and it works especially well for kids, teens, and adults who are motivated to take charge of their tic management. There only 450 CBIT-certified clinicians in the world and Beyond Borders CBT is lucky to have 3 of them!