what is tourettes

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children, adolescents, and adults. It is characterized by sudden, involuntary movements and/or sounds called tics. Tics can be either motor or vocal, and they can range from mild to severe. Motor tics include movements such as eye blinking, head jerking, shoulder shrugging, and touching objects, while vocal tics include sounds like grunting, throat clearing, and repeating words or phrases. TS typically appears in childhood between the ages of 2 and 14, with the average onset around 6 years of age. It affects more boys than girls, and most people with TS experience their worst tic symptoms in their early teens, but tics typically lessen and become controlled by the late teens to early 20s. While there is no cure for TS, treatments are available to help manage symptoms, and many people with TS dont need treatment when symptoms arent troublesome. In most cases, tics decrease during adolescence and early adulthood, and sometimes disappear entirely. However, many people with TS experience tics into adulthood, and in some cases, tics can become worse during adulthood. Its important to note that the media often portray people with TS as involuntarily shouting out swear words or constantly repeating the words of other people, but these symptoms are rare and are not required for a diagnosis of TS.