Local Offer - Understanding Tics and Tourette's Syndrome

This page provides information on tics and Tourette's Syndrome.

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What are tics and Tourette's Syndrome?

Tics are fast, repetitive muscle movements that result in sudden and difficult to control body jolts or sounds. They can be common in childhood and typically begin between the ages of 2 and 16 with 6 years being the average age of onset. Sometimes they can even start in adulthood.

When tics have lasted over a year, a child or young person will often go on to be diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. 

Children and young people with Tourette’s Syndrome usually have a combination of motor and vocal tics which have lasted over a year. These tics are not usually painful but some such as head jerking can cause muscular pain from overuse of the same muscle group.

Co-existing difficulties

Many children, young people and even adults who have tics or Tourette’s Syndrome will find that there are times when their symptoms are worse than others. They are often worse during periods of stress and anxiety or when a person is especially tired.

Many children and young people who are diagnosed with tics and/or Tourette’s Syndrome will also have some form of mood or anxiety disorder such as OCD, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Sensory Processing Disorder.

What are the signs and symptoms of tics?

Tics are classified as either motor (physical) or vocal and may be simple (only a few muscles or sounds) or complex (groups of muscles or complete sentences).

Motor tics (physical tics)

Simple motor tics may include:

  • Eye blinking
  • Nose scrunching
  • Throat clearing
  • Shoulder shrugs
  • Facial grimace, etc.

Complex motor tics may include:

  • Finger tapping
  • Inappropriate gestures,
  • Touching people and objects
  • Jumping
  • Self-abusive behaviours, etc.

Vocal tics

Simple vocal tics may include:

  • Sniffing
  • Throat clearing
  • Grunting
  • Blowing raspberries
  • Humming
  • Spitting
  • Shouting, etc.

Complex vocal tics may include:

  • Repeating other people’s words (echolalia)
  • Repeating your own words (palilalia)
  • Repeating obscene and/or offensive words (coprolalia).

What should I do if I think I/my child has a tic disorder?

Tics are not usually serious but they can be frustrating and interfere with everyday activities. You do not always need to see a GP if they are mild and not causing problems. Sometimes they can disappear as quickly as they appear.

See a GP if you are concerned about your or your child's tics, you need support or advice, or the tics:

  • Occur very regularly or become more frequent or severe
  • Cause emotional or social problems, such as embarrassment, bullying or social isolation
  • Cause pain or discomfort (some tics can cause the person to accidentally hurt themselves)
  • Interfere with daily activities, school, or work
  • Are accompanied by anger, depression or self harm

A GP should be able to diagnose a tic from a description of it and, if possible, seeing it. Recording a short video can be helpful but be careful not to draw too much attention to the tic while filming as this can make it worse.

How can I support someone with their tics and/or Tourette’s Syndrome?

  • Help them avoid stress, anxiety, and boredom – for example, try to find a relaxing and enjoyable activity to do (such as sport or a hobby)
  • Help them avoid becoming too tired as this can make tics worse
  • Try to ignore your child's tic and not talk about it too much – drawing attention to it may make it worse
  • Do not tell a child off when they tic. This can affect their confidence and self-esteem
  • Reassure your child that everything is okay and there is no reason for them to feel embarrassed
  • Let people you are in regular contact with know about tics, so they are aware of them and know not to react when they occur

Find your nearest support group here.

What support is available?

There are several services who can help with supporting children, young people and their parents/carers or any professionals involved.

Frequently asked questions

Can tics be controlled?

Although tics are involuntary, many children and young people can suppress them (hold them in) for a brief period.

A good example is to compare a tic to ‘blinking.’ We can stop ourselves from blinking by keeping our eyes wide open to avoid the blink, and with practice be able to do this for longer each time, but eventually we must blink as the urge is too strong.

This is how suppressing or ‘holding in’ a tic can feel. At some point the urge will become too strong and the tic will happen but with practice a child or young person can have a certain level of control over their tics. Some individuals are better at this than others.

It is common for children and young people to hold in their tics or TS at school or college as it is a structured environment, yet their families may notice a marked increase in movements when they return home as they feel relaxed and at ease.

What support is offered in school for children with tics and Tourette's Syndrome?

Schools in Doncaster offer inclusive High-Quality Teaching and reasonable adjustments which are designed to support children and young people with any barriers to learning.

Reasonable adjustments are a setting's legal obligations to remove barriers for those with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), there is a natural overlap across reasonable adjustments, differentiation, and ordinarily available provision. This type of provision should be a base line offer available in all educational settings regardless of academy trust expectations or specialisms. Having robust provision available to any child or young person with SEND, will make for smoother processes when learners need an increase in provision, a SEND plan or EHC Needs Assessment referral. 

Find out more about support in school from Tourettes Action.

Read about managing tics in the classroom.

 

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Last updated: 08 October 2024 10:07:47

 

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