Nix Your Tics! Eliminate Unwanted Tic Symptoms by Duncan McKinlay

Nix Your Tics! by Dr. Duncan McKinlay, Ph.D., C.Psych.

From the first line in this how-to book, “Hey Got Tics? Me too. Welcome to the club.”, the reader really feels like a welcomed club member. The club Dr. Duncan McKinlay Psych., created is the Leaky Brakes Club. Leaky brakes is how he explains tics and the other symptoms that often go along with tics. As you read, you are motivated to follow his steps to get rid of bothersome tics one at a time.

I love the way Dr. McKinlay (Dr. Dunc) “has a casual chat” with the TS (Tourette Syndrome) child, just as if they were sitting on the family couch. His message is upbeat and he delivers it with humor. The 144pg pocket book is very easy to read and recommended for ages 12 and older. Some younger than 12 may also be ready for it. To top it off, you will appreciate the handy back-of-the-book information, summaries of the steps mentioned, worksheets, blank note taking space and lists of great resources.

He shows the normies' (regular "normal" people) point of view about tics and how the normies’ good brake systems work. For many TS kids this might be the first time this is explained to them. The message he conveys is that normies can be okay once you understand them, and once you have given them a chance to understand you.

Dr. Dunc, also author of Life's a Twitch, arms the TS individual with tips on how to tell normies about TS and tics, which will, in turn make his/her life better. Building their self-worth throughout the book, Dr. Dunc points out the flip sides of TS: “People in our club who have done exceptionally well in life, and shaped our world and history in some magnificent ways…”

Medication, tic suppression and tic management (CBIT) are clearly explained. Reader are shown how tic management will put them in the driver’s seat and will help allow them to eliminate any deep rooted tics…one tic at a time. My daughter, pictured to the right, has Tourette Syndrome and has managed to do this. Only diagnosed at age 19, she unknowingly used some of "Nix" strategies to function in social settings while growing up. This has further convinced me that Dr. Dunc has something going here.

Need more proof? These findings are reported in the May 19th 2010 issue of JAMA. The Journal Of the American Medical Association — Behavior Therapy for Children With Tourette Disorder. Results from a new randomized trial show that children with Tourette's syndrome and chronic tic disorders have greater improvement in tics and tic-related impairment with comprehensive behavioral intervention than with supportive therapy and education.

"Historically, Tourette's syndrome has been treated with antipsychotic medications, which reduce tics but are associated with side effects that often limit their usefulness in children," lead author John Piacentini, PhD, from the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement. "So the development of an effective nonmedication treatment for children with this disorder is a major therapeutic advance."

With early diagnoses and teaching early coping strategies like those in Nix Your Tics!, children with tic disorders will have, like the book states: “ an attitude of positive self-acceptance you’ve hopefully picked up from this book…”

Check previous post: Tourette Syndrome ~ Your Child, His Tics and School

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Have you had experience with tic management?