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. Related Topics Attention Deficit Disorder School Problems 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. 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. 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 . 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. 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.