Tourette Syndrome

709 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Tourette syndrome research paper

Tourette Syndrome

People stare at them wherever they go. No one sits next to them on a bus or a train. People sometimes call you rude, offensive, and crazy, and there is nothing you can do to change their minds. This is what life can be like for someone with the disorder Tourette Syndrome.

People with Tourette Syndrome are sensitive to repeated "not normal" movements and sounds called tics. Tics are not done on purpose they are difficult and sometimes impossible to control. In mild cases the tics may be rare and not seen by the untrained eye. In severe cases, the tics maybe repeated and extremely noticeable. TS is a worldwide disorder, it affects people of all races. Males are three times more likely to have TS than females.

To some people who don't know about TS, the behavior of someone with this disorder may seem really strange. The common motor tics (body movements) include repeated winking or blinking, facial expressions, sudden jerks of the head or shoulder, and other movements of the hands and the arms. People with TS must deal with many vocal tics. A vocal tic may be a word or phrase, but it usually sounds like someone clearing their throat and many other sounds like, sniffing, barking, clucking, hissing or a popping sound.

For someone to be diagnosed with TS, the person must have shown signs of a vocal tic and several motor tics over a period of time. The diagnosis also requires that the 2 types of tic happen several times a day and they have to have been happening for a year. The tics must also change in power the older the person gets meaning that the older the person gets the more intense the tics get. There are two kinds of tics simple and complex. Eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, and head jerking are all examples of simple motor tics. Throat clearing is an example of a simple vocal tic. Pinching, punching, smelling things and repeatedly touching people are examples of complex motor tics.

TS first appears when a child is between seven and nine years old and gets more powerful during teen years. Luckily the tics usually begin to lower during the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Even though tics are usually hard to control, some people can store them away if they know its about to happen.

Show More
Related

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder Case Study

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first category is stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech, which can include lining up toys, flipping objects, hand flapping, echolalia, and use of idiosyncratic phrases. Ben frequently rubs his train against his chin or waves it in front of his eyes as he carries it around, and while playing he always lines up his toy train cars in the same way each time thus demonstrating the behaviours. Frequently people with ASD will line up objects according to size or even colour, time and time again. The second category indicates an excessive insistence on sameness, inflexible routines, or ritualize patterns of behavior verbal or nonverbal. This category can include extreme distress at any small changes, difficulties with transitions, and rigid thinking patterns and greetings. In the description of Ben in the case example, it states, “He gets very upset if anyone rearranges his trains” (Perry & Condillac, 2003) showing agitation at small changes and inflexibility, he wants things to remain the same. When I worked in an autism primary class some students had difficulty transitioning. One student had difficulty with transitions and if he was doing math and had to switch to science, he might have a tantrum because he had to transition to a different subject. It was

    Read More

  • Tourette syndrome's Description and Analysis

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tics are the most common symptom of Tourette syndrome. A tic is an involuntary, repetitive movement of muscles usually in the face, neck, shoulders, trunk and hands (Diane, 2011, p.662). Symptoms of Tourette syndrome is often first noticed during childhood, between ages 7 and 10. Most children with Tourette syndrome also have other medical problems such as ADHD and OCD Tourette syndrome exhibit multiple behavioral symptoms including ADHD and OCD, which, like Tourette syndrome, are clinically diagnosed without testing (Chiu, 2013, p.406). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, motor and vocal tics are classified as simple or complex (Diane, 2011, p.663). Simple motor tics include eye blinking, neck jerking, shoulder shrugging, head banging, head turning, tongue protrusion, nail biting, hair pulling, and facial grimacing (Diane, 2011, p.663). Some examples of complex motor tics are facial gestures, grooming behaviors, hitting or biting oneself, jumping, hopping, touching, squatting, retracing steps, smelling an object, and imitating the movements of ...

    Read More

  • Tourette's Syndrome Essay

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    Motor tics involve movements of the body. This could include blinking or shrugging of the shoulders. Although there’s no exact known reason for motor tics, stress and lack of sleep can play a role in the occurrence and severity of the tics. Vocal tics are sounds that a person will make with their voice, such as yelling, humming, clearing of the throat, or repeating the words or phases of others. Out of the two, motor tics are more commonly found in people with

    Read More

  • Tardive Dyskinesia and Schizophrenia

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    In recent years researchers have made significant advances in the field and have come up with many neuroleptic (antipsychotic) medications to treat the disorder. However along with these medical breakthroughs problems have occurred. The most severe side effect is called Tardive Dyskinesia, literally meaning "late movement disorder." (1) Coined in 1964, it is identified by the involvement of numerous "abnormal, involuntary movements of the orofacial area or extremities." . (2) More specifically, it is characterized by rocking, twisting, jerking, toe tapping, lip smacking, blinking, and most commonly an unusual movement of the tongue. . (1) (2)(3). Interestingly enough, these side effects disappear during sleep. (3)

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Oliver Sacks's 'Witty Ticcy Ray'

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    Davison et al. (2014) define a mental disorder as “a behavioural or psychological syndrome associated with current distress and/or disability” (p. G8). While mental disorders have behavioural and cognitive origins, physical disorders have physiological or neurological origins. Although these disorders can be separately defined, they often appear together. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder also appearing in the DSM-5 and creating many specific challenges. Davison et al. (2014) acknowledge that “people with psychological disorders often face negative stereotyping and stigmatization” (p. 18). Similarly, Ray faced stigmatization as a result of his Tourette’s. Sacks (1981) states, “[Ray] had been subject to these [tics] since the age of four and severely stigmatised by the attention they aroused.” Additionally, like many individuals with mental disorders, Ray was challenged by unpredictable mood changes. For example, Ray experienced times of wild mannerisms and energies, but could also, with a “kinetic melody”, be tension-free and tic-free (Sacks, 1981). Finally, individuals with mental disorders often struggle to find both useful and enjoyable treatment options. Likewise, Ray’s first treatment attempt was unsuccessful and he was forced to explore alternatives. Although individuals with mental illnesses may face challenges, these challenges can

    Read More

  • Hypokinetic Dysarthria

    1501 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nonspeech signs associated with hypokinetic dysarthria may include characteristics dealing with the face, eyes, hands, arms, and trunk. The individual may have an expressionless look to their face as well as weakness with gestures in the hands, arms, and face that would normally match the person’s prosody when speaking. Overall, their social interaction with others can be emotionless. Eye blinking occurs less frequently than normal and their head gaze does not match where their eyes are looking. These patients swallow infrequently which leads to drooling. A tremor may be present in the jaw, lips, and tongue as well as limited movement during speech even though strength of these structures is often normal.

    Read More

  • A Comparison between Christopher Boone and Raymond Babbitt

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is important to know that the person with AS perceives the world differently. Therefore, many behaviours that seem odd are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behaviour.

    Read More

  • Congenital Heart Disease Essay

    3354 Words  | 7 Pages

    ...tic devices, wheelchairs and rolling walkers can be used to support movement. Communication aids, such as computers with communication devices can be used to help with speech (NINDS; Bachrach, 2012).

    Read More

  • Autism

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    developmental disabilities, and appears before the age of three. It is known to be four or

    Read More

  • Autism

    2129 Words  | 5 Pages

    In some instances it may take a little more than a year of evaluations and testing to successfully diagnose someone with autism. For this reason, researchers are working on different ways to assess children to isolate causes at an early age. Dr. Teitelbaum, a psychologist at the University of Florida, and other researchers discovered that autistic children appear to have subtle abnormalities in body movements that can be diagnosed as early as 3 months (Blakeslee, 1999).

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Autism

    1955 Words  | 4 Pages

    Autism has been misjudged for many years and some people have gone without treatment and were locked up in mental hospitals for the rest of their lives due to the ignorance of the public... The main problem is that there has not been any productive treatment available to help them in the past. The typical case of autism can be frightening to those who are not educated in the characteristics on how one can be affected by autism and its symptoms. It would be easy to be intimidated and overwhelmed by the reactions of people that have autism. There are several ways to diagnose autism, however it is in many cases not being recognized, and especially in children who have debilitating handicaps such as schizophrenia. There are also the children that may seem very normal and may only have a few symptoms, such as rocking or not being able to

    Read More

  • A Study of John Nash

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e, mouth, face, or whole body; involuntary chewing, sucking, and lip smacking; and jerky movements of the arms, legs, or entire body” (Comer, 2011, p. 379).

    Read More

  • autism

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Children with characteristics of an ASD may have co-occurring conditions, including Fragile X syndrome (which cause mental retardation), tuberous sclerosis, epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder. About 20 to 30 percent of children with an ASD develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.” (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2013)

    Read More

  • Forms of Autism Spectrum Disorder

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rett’s disorder is a disorder that involves repetitive, constant hand movements. People with this disorder have noticeably smaller head growth than people with other forms of autism. This disorder is associated wit...

    Read More

  • Disability Reflection Paper

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    At first, I was uncomfortable being around people with disabilities because I was still so unexperienced. I am still a little uncomfortable, not for people with disabilities, but myself. I grew up with having social anxiety and I am always scared that I will do something wrong or say something wrong. This is something that I am trying to work on, that I can come out of my shell and be more confident, maybe then, I can feel more comfortable and have more confidence when I am with people who have a

    Read More

More about Tourette Syndrome

Open Document