What Are the Most Common Symptoms of Tourette Syndrome in Children?

When a child has Tourette syndrome, he makes movements or sounds on a repeated basis without intending or desiring to do so. For instance, a person with this condition may jerk his head or clear his throat frequently. Some children may use profanity, hop, or touch their noses repeatedly as a sign of this condition. The symptoms can involve simple tics, which include movements or sounds that happen suddenly and don't require the use of multiple muscles, or complex tics that require more coordination and use more muscles. Blinking, for instance, is typically considered simple while flapping one's arms is often considered complex.

The signs of Tourette syndrome in children are often the same as the symptoms of this condition in people of other ages. Tourette syndrome, which is a type of neurological disorder, is marked by such tics as shaking one's head, jerking one's head, blinking, hopping, or flapping one's arms. Sometimes sounds are also among the signs of Tourette syndrome in children. For instance, a child may use obscene words, clear his throat, or yell as a sign of the syndrome.

Children with Tourette's usually have the same signs as adults with this disorder: tics. The difference is that children are more likely to have this condition, and it often develops between the ages of seven and 10 years old. In some cases, it may get worse during adolescence and then get better once a person reaches adulthood. Some people, however, continue to have significant symptoms despite aging.

Though every person with Tourette syndrome suffers from tics, each person usually has somewhat different symptoms; this is due to the fact that tics can fall into two different categories: those that are physical and those that are related to sound. Physical tics include blinking, hopping, neck jerking, and shrugging. Sound-related tics include using profanity, yelling, repeating words, and barking. The tics associated with Tourette syndrome in children are also separated into two groups: simple and complex. The simple group includes tics such as blinking, hiccuping, and yelling while complex tics include arm flapping, hopping, and smelling items.

The symptoms of Tourette syndrome in children can change in terms of the type of tic experienced, how often the tic appears, and how severe a child's symptoms are. Some children experience worsening symptoms when they feel mentally stressed or become ill. Even periods of excitement can increase symptoms in some children. While trying to hold a tic permanently at bay doesn't usually work, some older children, teens, and adults can learn how to temporarily hold a disruptive tic back for a very short time.