| Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, Tourette syndrome, occurs in about 1 of every 2000 children. It is more likely to occur in boys, especially if they have a first degree relative that also has this disorder, and usually begins between the ages of 2 and 21 years of age.
Tics are sudden, repetitive, purposeless motor or vocal expressions or movements. In addition to transient tic disorders and chronic motor tic disorders, Tourette syndrome is a common cause of tics in children. The symptoms of Tourette syndrome include having multiple vocal tics and motor tics, although they don't have to have both types of tics at the same time.
Children with vocal tics may make compulsive barking and grunting noises, have frequent throat clearing, coughing or sniffling, echolalia (vocal tics characterized by repeating words that a child hears), and/or coprolalia (vocal tics characterized by repeating or shouting obscene words), although coprolalia is rare.
Other common motor tics include eye blinking, jerking the head, movements of the eyes, different facial expressions, including grimacing, and nose twitching.
Simple tics are brief and involve only a few muscle groups. At first, children with Tourette syndrome usually have simple tics, but over time these tics can become more complex, becoming longer and involving several different muscle groups or whole words or phrases.
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| the severity of the tics can change over time, being more mild at times or even going away (remission) |
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These tics occur nearly every day and multiple times each day and to meet the diagnostic criteria for Tourette syndrome, the tics should be present for at least a year. However, the severity of the tics can change over time, being more mild at times or even going away (remission), although to meet the diagnostic criteria for Tourette syndrome, the child should not be tic free for more than three months at a time. At other times, during exacerbations, the tics may worsen, especially during times of stress, illness or fatigue. Tics are usually at their worst when a child is about 11 - 12 years old.
In addition to tics, children with Tourette syndrome are also likely to have emotional and behavior problems or comorbid conditions, have difficulty in school and poor self esteem and they are more likely to have symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (some children with Tourette syndrome and ADHD don't have tics until they begin stimulant therapy for their ADHD, although stimulants do not cause the tics), learning disabilities, mood disorders and oppositional defiant disorder.
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| tics usually get better over time and about one third of children outgrow the tics by the time they become adults |
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It is not known what causes Tourette Syndrome and there is no cure, but symptoms can usually be managed with counseling, accommodations at school and medications, especially if the tics are interfering with school or social interactions. The symptoms are usually made worse by anxiety and during times of stress, but they do usually get better with time, and are even outgrown by almost one third of children by adulthood.
Most children with Tourette syndrome do not require medications to control their tics. The medications most commonly used to control tics include Clonidine, Guanfacine, Haloperidol, and Pimozide.
The comorbid conditions that are associated with Tourette syndrome, especially ADHD and LD, can also be managed with medications and modifications at school.
Tourette Syndrome Recommended Reading List:
In association with amazon.com, these books can help you to learn more and become better educated about your child's condition, its treatment and preventing complications.
Tourette Syndrome Internet Resources:
- Tourette Syndrome Association: the only national voluntary nonprofit membership organization for people with Tourette syndrome. Its mission is to identify the cause of, find the cure for and control the effects of Tourette disorder. Includes educational resources and a list of famous people who may have had Tourettes syndrome.
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