Tourette (TS) Syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by tics -- involuntary, rapid, sudden movements that occur repeatedly in the same way. To receive a diagnosis of TS a person must have both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics, not necessarily simultaneously, throughout a span of more than one year. The tics may occur many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every day or intermittently. Tics periodically change in the number, frequency, type and location and wax and wane in their severity. Symptoms can sometimes disappear for weeks or months at a time. While most persons with TS have some control over their symptoms from seconds to hours at a time, suppressing them may merely postpone more severe outbursts. Tics are experienced as irresistable and (as the urge to sneeze) eventually must be expressed. Tics increase as a result of tension or stress and decrease with relaxation or concentration on an absorbing task.
Tics are categorized as Motor or Vocal, Simple or Complex. Simple tics are movements or vocalizations which are completely meaningless, whereas complex tics are movements or vocalizations which make use of more than one muscle group or appear to be meaningful.
Simple |
Complex |
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MO T O R
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Abdominal jerking Ankle flexing Arm flailing Arm flapping Arm flexing Arm jerking Arm squeezing Clapping Eye blinking Eye rolling Facial contortions Foot dragging Foot shaking Foot tapping Grimacing Hair tossing Head jerking Knee bending Knee knocking Leg jerking Licking Lip smacking Mouth opening Nose twitching Pouting Shrugging Squatting Squinting Stomping Stooping Tongue thrusting |
Banging Body jerking Body slamming Chewing clothes Copropraxia Echopraxia Hair twisting Hitting Hopping Jumping Kicking Kissing Picking Pinching Pulling clothes Skipping Scratching Shivering Smelling things Somersaults Stepping backwards Tearing things Throwing things Twirling in circles Walking on toes |
VO C A L
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Belching Clicking Coughing Gasping Grunting Gurgling Gutteral sounds Hiccupping Hissing Honking Misc. noises Moaning Noisy breathing Puffing Screaming Shouting Sniffing Snorting Squeaking Squealing Sucking Throat clearing "Tsk," "Pft," etc. Yelping |
Amplitude of speech Animal sounds -- cow, dog, etc. Barely audible muttering Calling out Coprolalia Echolalia "Hey," "Wow," etc. Humming Laughing Palilalia Repeating parts of words Repeating phrases Repeating words Spitting Stuttering Talking to oneself Whistling Yelling |
Copropraxia: Making obscene gestures.
Echopraxia: Mimicking movements that others make.