I have noticed for the last few weeks, my 4 yr old daughter will be playing as she always does, and I'll be watching her and she will do a little twitch, sorta like she got the chills. I would ask her if she is cold and she says no, then I ask her if something hurts her she also says no, I ask her almost everytime she twitches, she will twitch like about every 5 to 10 minutes.and this has been going on for a few weeks, what should I do?

These are unusual symptoms, I must admit. Does she do it just as often when you are not around? Have others noticed it? Does she do it in her sleep? If so, I think it would be worth asking her doctor about it, and letting him or her observe what you are talking about.

If she only does it when you are around, then it is more likely to be a behavioral issue -- some kids develop tics like this if they think it will get attention from someone important in their lives. By menitoning it over and over, you actually reinforce the behavior. If you think this might be the case, then I suggest that you ignore the symptoms for a week or two and see if they don't go away on their own.

Please let us know what happens.

Dr. Mike Potter

-- Michael Potter, MD, is an associate professor at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center.

First published March 29, 2005
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