Early assessment gives children the best chance to learn, connect and thrive. These pages are written for parents and teachers.
Tics & Tourette Syndrome
Does your child keep blinking, shrugging, clearing their throat or making sounds they can't control? Tics are sudden, repeated movements or sounds. Tourette syndrome is when both movement and vocal tics last more than a year (ICD-11 8A05).
How common is it?
Short-lived tics are common in children; Tourette syndrome affects about 3–8 in 1,000 school-age children, mostly boys.
Who is at higher risk?
- Family history
- Children with ADHD or OCD
- Stress and tiredness worsen tics
Signs & symptoms
Eye blinking, facial grimacing, head jerks, shoulder shrugs, sniffing, grunting, throat clearing; an urge before the tic and relief after.
What causes it?
A neurological condition of the brain's movement circuits, strongly inherited.
How to know if your child is struggling — you may relate if…
- Other kids tease him about his blinking.
How Mind Detox Centre helps
Assessment, behaviour therapy for tics (habit reversal / CBIT), treatment of ADHD or anxiety, and awareness sessions for teachers.
Developmental Coordination Disorder (Clumsiness)
Does your child struggle with buttons, shoelaces, handwriting or catching a ball, and fall often? Developmental coordination disorder is a significant delay in motor skills that affects daily life and schoolwork (ICD-11 6A04).
How common is it?
About 5–6 in 100 children.
Who is at higher risk?
Premature or low-birth-weight babies; children with ADHD or learning disorders.
Signs & symptoms
Clumsiness, slow messy handwriting, difficulty with sports, cycling, dressing and using a spoon or scissors.
What causes it?
Differences in the brain's motor-planning networks.
How to know if your child is struggling — you may relate if…
- He avoids sports and gets teased for being clumsy.
How Mind Detox Centre helps
Assessment, occupational therapy referral, classroom accommodations and confidence building.
Attachment Disorders
Children who experienced severe neglect or many changes of caregiver in early life may struggle to form secure bonds. In reactive attachment disorder (ICD-11 6B44) the child rarely seeks or accepts comfort; in disinhibited social engagement disorder (6B45) the child is overly friendly with strangers.
How common is it?
Rare in the general population, but more common among children from institutional, foster or neglectful care.
Who is at higher risk?
Children raised in orphanages or institutions, with severe neglect or frequent changes of caregiver.
Signs & symptoms
Withdrawn, rarely seeking comfort, little emotion; or going off with strangers without checking back.
What causes it?
Missing a stable, loving caregiver in the first years of life.
How to know if your child is struggling — you may relate if…
- Our adopted daughter doesn't come to us when she's hurt.
How Mind Detox Centre helps
Attachment-focused parent-child therapy, play therapy and parenting support for adoptive and foster families.
Frequently asked questions
At what age can autism or ADHD be diagnosed?
Autism can often be identified by 18–24 months; ADHD is usually diagnosed from about age 5–6.
Will my child outgrow a learning disability?
SLD is lifelong, but with early remedial support children learn strategies and do well.
Is screen time a cause of autism?
No. But too much screen time can delay speech and attention, so limit it for all young children.
Is my child just naughty, or is it a disorder?
If difficult behaviour is much more than peers, lasts 6 months or more and affects home and school, an assessment helps.
Will therapy for my child involve me?
Yes. Parents are central to child therapy; many strategies work best at home.
Can children really get depressed?
Yes. In children and teens it often shows as irritability, anger and withdrawal.