Symptoms and Complications
Most people with Tourette's syndrome suffer from simple motor tics.
Continual eye blinking is the most common tic. Others include:
- grimacing
- head jerking
- leg tapping
- shrugging
- spitting
- taking odd steps when walking
Complex motor tics involve more muscles and more complicated movements.
To the outsider, they may not seem like a tic at all:
- copying other people's movements (echopraxia)
- jumping
- nose rubbing
- sniffing objects
- touching other people
- very rarely, self-harming behaviors like banging the head or biting the
lip
Not all people with Tourette's syndrome have vocal tics, but they're fairly
common. They include:
- clearing the throat
- yelping
- barking
- repeating other people's words (echolalia)
- loud swearing and cursing (coprolalia)
Coprolalia is the symptom popularly associated with Tourette's, but only
a minority of people with the condition have this symptom. Most people who
have this are aware of it, and try to control it by changing the word as it
comes out, for example saying something like "fudge."
Obviously, coprolalia and echolalia can lead to severe problems at school,
both with teachers and with other children. Most children with Tourette's syndrome
attend normal school, but this can be difficult if the symptoms are extreme
or the teachers don't tolerate or understand it.
In fact, most sufferers can control their symptoms for a few minutes, but
they compare it to trying to hold back a sneeze. It must eventually come
out, and if you delay it, it's likely to come out in a bigger way.
People with Tourette's syndrome often find their symptoms get worse when they're
nervous and ease when they're relaxed or concentrating hard on something.
The symptoms of Tourette's syndrome usually appear before age 18. If they develop
afterwards, the person is unlikely to be diagnosed with this condition. Symptoms
are often worse around puberty and fade as the person grows older.