Tics are involuntary, repetitive movements and/or vocalizations.
Simple motor tics may include but are not limited to movements such as eye blinking, grimacing, head bobbing, shoulder shrugging and/or arm jerking. Simple vocal tics may include but are not limited to things such as sniffing, throat clearing, grunting, hooting or even shouting
Complex motor tics involve multiple muscle groups or combinations of movements and tend to be slower and more purposeful. These may include things such as hopping, twirling and/or jumping.
Complex vocal tics are words or phrases that may or may not be recognizable but that consistently occur out of context. In 10-15% of cases, the words may be inappropriate (i.e., swear words, ethnic slurs, or other socially unacceptable words or phrases). This type of vocal tic, called coprolalia, is often portrayed or mocked in the media as a common symptom of TS.