They may also give away favorite possessions or become suddenly cheerful after a long period of sadness. A tic is a sudden, rapid movement of some of the muscles in the body that occurs over and over and doesn't serve any purpose. The location, frequency and complexity of tics changes over time. Motor tics frequently involve the head, central body, legs and arms. They may result in simple movements such as eye blinking or more complex movements such as touching and squatting.
Vocal tics can include sounds such as grunts, barks, sniffs, snorts, coughs and obscenities.
It occurs more often in males than females and symptoms are usually present for life. The severity of Tourette's varies a great deal over time, but improvements can occur during late adolescents and in adulthood. Teens with Tourette's Syndrome often have additional problems with obsessions, compulsions, hyperactivity, distractibility and impulsiveness.