My 8 year old daughter has what appear to be habitual facial spasms

My 8 year old daughter has for a couple of years now gone from one apparent habit to another.  She began by making a grunting sound like she was clearing her throat, when she was about 6 years old which drove us nuts for a few months then she moved on to a clicking sound at the back of her throat.  Then it was sniffing in and out (like there was something stuck in her nose), then scrunching her eyes like there was something in them, then rolling her eyes and wiggling her eyebrows and now it's a grimace that looks like she's got an itch somewhere around her eye.

Each time she says she can't help it and that she feels the urge to do it, insisting there's something in her eye, or in her throat etc.

We've taken her to a GP at the very beginning who told us it was a phantom habit and it would go away.  It did but only to move onto another habit.  It's only now bothering me because it's quite obvious and other children might victimise her.

She's an intelligent and likeable girl but has a low self esteem, occasionally insisting she's fat and stupid, no matter how much proof there is of the opposite.  She has no other 'symptoms' to describe but it's causing us (Mum and Dad) concern.

Do you have any suggestions as to what it is and how do we help her out??

Thank you.
Alicia.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Ms. Newport,

It is quite likely that your daughter is displaying Tourette Disorder/Syndrome, a tic disorder manifested by both vocal and motor tics (involunatery movements). It would be wise to seek an evaluation by a pediatric neurologist who can clarify the diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. It Tourett's is diagnosed, a combination of medication and psychoeducational therapy is usually called for. There are also support groups and information networks for parents of children with Tourette Disorder.