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What is Tourette Syndrome?
Tourette Syndrome is an inherited, neurological disorder characterized by repeated and involuntary
body movements (tics) and uncontrollable vocal sounds. In a minority of cases, the vocalizations can
include socially inappropriate words and phrases -- called coprolalia. These outbursts are neither
intentional nor purposeful. Involuntary symptoms can included eye blinking, repeated throat clearing or
sniffing, arm thrusting, kicking movements, shoulder shrugging or jumping.
These and other symptoms typically appear before the age
of 18 and the condition occurs in all ethnic groups with males affected 3 to 4 times more often than
females. Tourettes is a spectrum disorder, which means that the severity of the symptoms can
significantly vary from person to person, ranging from very mild to severe, and that other issues may
also be present, with the
majority of cases being mild. Associated issues can include obsessivity,
attentional problems, impulsivity and anger management. The Tourettes Spectrum may also overlap Autism Spectrum
Disorder, which includes Aspergers and Pervasive Development Disorder. TS appears in approximately one percent of the human
population and its prevalence does not vary significantly between ethnic groups.
Most people with TS lead productive lives and participate
in all professions. Increased public understanding and tolerance of TS symptoms are of paramount
importance to people with Tourette Syndrome.
Click here for
answers to some frequently asked questions about Tourette Syndrome.
Note: I don't have the time to
keep this page updated - its basically the same page as it was in 2001. The Wikipedia article on Tourette Syndrome is a good place
to start looking for more current research. I apologize for the inconvenience. I'm still avaiable to
talk and answer questions but the time to keep publishing the latest research (and there is lots of it)
just isn't there right now. (If you've been here before and are looking for
some of the links, they've been removed because most of them are dead.)
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