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The symptoms of Tourette syndrome are as follows: Motor tics (sudden uncontrollable body movements) and vocal tics (words and sounds) Tics are uncontrollable and should not be considered controllable. These tics could be simple or complex. Simple and complex motor tics are as follows: Simple motor tics can involve one muscle group, while complex motor tics could be a combination of various simple motor tics or a series of movements that involve more than one muscle group. Simple and complex vocal tics are are as follows: Simple vocal tics involve simple sounds made by moving air through the nose (sniffing for example) or mouth (grunts for example). Simple Vocal tics are considered mild and whoever has them is lucky. Complex vocal tics involve either a series of words, phrases, and sentences or just words, phrases, and sentences. It depends on the person.
The tics are not always obvious. They may come and go over a period of months or years or some never stop as in some cases, change from one type to another, or disappear for no apparent reason what so ever. Tics tend to be supressed when asleep during sleep yet some cases have had tics while asleep. Tics are most often gone during visits to a Doctor or when a child is actively engaged in another interest. Tics may sometimes last longer and be more severe than usual if the person were to suppress them or if the person is dealing with stress. A nervous person would have tics more often than a person that is calm.
The course of Tourette's syndrome usually follows a predictable pattern:
The tics usually begin at 6 to 7 years of age. Although some cases can begin as early as age 2.
Early tics are usually simple. The child may or may not be aware of his or her tics, and the parents might ignore the tics, or confuse the tics with something else. Some parents think that the tics are vision difficulties (such as frequent blinking) or expressions of play, or a habit.
Over the next few years, the tics may change in various ways such as location severity and/or frequent at times. The child will most likley become aware of them and may explain them in different ways. The Child might confuse the tic with a cough or anything else. It is good to comfort the child and seek help if the child continues to display symptoms. The child might try to cover up the tics by making other sounds or movements.
People with Tourette Syndrome tend to have more severe tics at the ages of 10-11. Although for some children tic severity might increase throughout the childs teen years. A child might be able to tell when a tic or a certain tic is starting (premonitory urge). The child might feel muscle tightness, skin irritation (such as a tickle), or temperature changes in the skin. By the age of 18 many tics have disappeared. Statistics show that approximatly one-third of adults with Tourette disorder (TD) have no tics, and approximatly one-third have fewer or milder tics than they experienced as teens, and approximatly one-third still continue to have severe tics.
Adults may continue to have other disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Of course, there are different variations in the course of Tourette syndrome. Sometimes motor tics appear before vocal tics or vise-versa, It varies between person to person whether they are able to sense when the tic(s) is to happen. Although the majority of children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome will experience significant tic remission, some will see an increase during the teen years, and the symptoms of other conditions, such as obsessions and compulsions, may not diminish. For many adolescents and adults, the tics of Tourette syndrome are not as much of a problem as interference from ADHD, OCD, mood disorders, or other conditions. OCD can be suppressed most of the time.
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