Tourette syndrome, when tics alter children's daily lives

The well-being of children It is one of the biggest concerns of every father. There are many things you can do to prevent future ills for the little ones in the house. In other situations children are victims of disorders that it is better to know to be able to, although not cure, to make their effects alter as little as possible the day to day of the children.

An example is Tourette's syndrome. A neurological disorder that appears in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by the presence of motor and phonic tics that last for more than a year, symptoms that make the routine of the little ones altered.

Symptom of Tourette's syndrome

As explained in the Tourette Association of America, the first symptoms of this syndrome are involuntary movements, tics. These are distributed from the face, arms and other members of the body. They tend to be frequent, repetitive and fast. The most common sign is a facial tic (blinking, contraction of the nose, grimaces). They can replace it or add others to the neck, trunk and limbs.


As the symptoms progress, the tics may involve to the whole body and be shown through kicks and stomps. They have also manifested so-called premonitory impulses, the desire to perform a motor activity. Other symptoms such as touching, repeated thoughts and movements, and obsessive disorders may also occur.

There are also vocal tics that occur along with the movements habitually. The vocalizations may include grunting, throat clearing, screaming and barking. They can also be shown in the form of coprolalia (the involuntary use of profanity or inappropriate phrases in the social context) or copropraxia (obscene gestures). It should be noted that these last two points are not common.


It is not necessary to present echolalia, coprolalia or copropraxia to make a diagnosis of Tourette syndrome. However, in order to confirm the medical opinion Both movements and involuntary vocalizations must be presented. Episodes of echo may also occur, although less frequently. Among them may be the repetition of words of other people or their own (palilalia) and the imitation of movements of other individuals.

Evolution of Tourette's syndrome

The symptoms of Tourette syndrome are very different from one other person and vary from very mild to severe, most cases correspond to the slight category. In the most serious cases, problems of attention, impulsivity, obsessive compulsive behavior and learning development disorders may appear.

Most people with Tourette syndrome lead lives productive. There are no barriers to your achievements in personal and professional life. Therapy with these individuals is to avoid the lack of self-esteem that can generate the presentation of tics before the rejection they cause in their peers.


Behavioral therapy is a treatment that teaches different ways to control tics in people with Tourette syndrome. East treatment It is not a cure for tics, however, it can help reduce the number, severity and impact of them or a combination of all those factors.

They can also be used medicines to reduce severe or more aggressive tics that have created problems in the past with family, friends, or anyone else in the child's environment. While drugs do not eliminate tics completely, they can help some people with Tourette syndrome in their day to day.

Damián Montero

Video: Jack Francis | A Tourettes Story


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