Common vocal tics include sniffing, throat clearing, grunting, making loud sounds or saying words. The frequency of both motor and vocal tics can occur anywhere from several times per minute to only a few times per day. Some children will display mild tics that almost go unnoticed, while others will display severe tics, like severe head moves and contorted facial movements, they occur every few minutes. Tics will vary over time in type, number and frequency. Some Tourette kids will go through period that last from a few days to as long as a year where they might not display any tics.
Tics usually escalate to a peak during the puberty years, then taper off.
My son John's first tic, noticed at the age of 8, was eye-blinking. This is probably the most common tic to occur either at the onset of tics or within the first few weeks of noticeable tics. When I first noticed them I thought he was showing symptoms of an allergy to cats, since he had been playing with a neighbor's son who had a pet cat. Children with severe Tourette tics often live on an emotional roller-coaster. Parents and families of Tourette's children with severe tics often feel helpless, not knowing how to help or bring an end to their loved one's emotional duress.