Children with Tourette Syndrome
and
Motor Tic Disorders
Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder that produces repetitive, involuntary motor and verbal tics. Approximately 1 in 100 school age children have Tourette Syndrome, and an even larger number are affected by transient tic disorder of some kind. It is strongly believed that Tourette also has a genetic component, and it has been traced in family lines. (New genetic research has begun to identify specific genomes, see latest Science Daily article here.)
For Tourette Syndrome to be diagnosed a person must have motor tics, and at least one vocal tic for a period of over 1 year. Tourette Syndrome should be viewed on a spectrum (much the way autism is viewed). Some people have it mildly and are minimally affected by it in their daily lives. Other people may have severe tics which interfere with their daily functioning, are self-injurious, physically debilitating.
Tourette Syndrome is more common in boys than girls. Average age of onset is between 3-9 years of age. Peak of symptoms is usually during the early teen years. As many as 50% of people experience remission of their tics by the time they are 18 years of age. Others, though, may never have a decrease in their symptoms. There is are no medications that are made specifically for Tourette Syndrome at this time. All medications are targeted at symptom management. Medication used for decreasing tics are all medications that were found by physicians to help reduce tics, but were developed for other purposes. Tourette Syndrome is not contagious. It is not life threatening. There is no known cure currently for Tourette Syndrome.
So what are tics?
There are essentially three main categories of tics.
Simple Motor Tics – Movement of one muscle group repetitively.
Complex Motor Tics – Movement of several motor groups repetitively.
Vocal Tics – Repetitive noise, can be words, phrases, grunting sounds, sniffing sounds, throat clearing.
Vocal Tics are very misunderstood in Tourette Syndrome. Many people have heard the sensationalism of swearing tics. This is called coprolalia. It actually only occurs in about 10-15% of cases of Tourette Syndrome. Echolalia is the repeating of words or phrases of others, and is also socially difficult as people can misinterpret this behavior as well.
Tourette Syndrome often co-occurs with other conditions including ADHD, OCD, learning disabilities. This is not always the case though either.
The most important thing to note about children with Tourette Syndrome is that their tics are involuntary. They are often ostracized by a lack of understanding from adults and their peers alike. Awareness of the disorder is paramount to them being socially accepted.
Additional Resources:
NIH-Genetics-Tourette Syndrome
CDC - Tourette Syndrome Facts
Tourette Association
National Association of Rare Disorders
For Tourette Syndrome to be diagnosed a person must have motor tics, and at least one vocal tic for a period of over 1 year. Tourette Syndrome should be viewed on a spectrum (much the way autism is viewed). Some people have it mildly and are minimally affected by it in their daily lives. Other people may have severe tics which interfere with their daily functioning, are self-injurious, physically debilitating.
Tourette Syndrome is more common in boys than girls. Average age of onset is between 3-9 years of age. Peak of symptoms is usually during the early teen years. As many as 50% of people experience remission of their tics by the time they are 18 years of age. Others, though, may never have a decrease in their symptoms. There is are no medications that are made specifically for Tourette Syndrome at this time. All medications are targeted at symptom management. Medication used for decreasing tics are all medications that were found by physicians to help reduce tics, but were developed for other purposes. Tourette Syndrome is not contagious. It is not life threatening. There is no known cure currently for Tourette Syndrome.
So what are tics?
There are essentially three main categories of tics.
Simple Motor Tics – Movement of one muscle group repetitively.
Complex Motor Tics – Movement of several motor groups repetitively.
Vocal Tics – Repetitive noise, can be words, phrases, grunting sounds, sniffing sounds, throat clearing.
Vocal Tics are very misunderstood in Tourette Syndrome. Many people have heard the sensationalism of swearing tics. This is called coprolalia. It actually only occurs in about 10-15% of cases of Tourette Syndrome. Echolalia is the repeating of words or phrases of others, and is also socially difficult as people can misinterpret this behavior as well.
Tourette Syndrome often co-occurs with other conditions including ADHD, OCD, learning disabilities. This is not always the case though either.
The most important thing to note about children with Tourette Syndrome is that their tics are involuntary. They are often ostracized by a lack of understanding from adults and their peers alike. Awareness of the disorder is paramount to them being socially accepted.
Additional Resources:
NIH-Genetics-Tourette Syndrome
CDC - Tourette Syndrome Facts
Tourette Association
National Association of Rare Disorders
References
"First Clear-Cut Risk Genes for Tourette Disorder Revealed." Science Daily. May 3, 2017. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170503131936.htm.
National Association of Rare Disorders. 2017. https://rarediseases.org/.
"NIH: Genetics Home Reference." Tourette Syndrome. 2017. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/tourette-syndrome#genes.
Tourette Association. 2017. https://www.tourette.org/.
"Tourette Syndrome." CDC. 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/tourette/facts.html.
"First Clear-Cut Risk Genes for Tourette Disorder Revealed." Science Daily. May 3, 2017. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170503131936.htm.
National Association of Rare Disorders. 2017. https://rarediseases.org/.
"NIH: Genetics Home Reference." Tourette Syndrome. 2017. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/tourette-syndrome#genes.
Tourette Association. 2017. https://www.tourette.org/.
"Tourette Syndrome." CDC. 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/tourette/facts.html.
This web page was designed by Marcy Steffy, May 2017.
To read more about Marcy's journey as a special needs parent click on the contributor's blog entitled You Will Never Be The Same.
To read more about Marcy's journey as a special needs parent click on the contributor's blog entitled You Will Never Be The Same.