At What age do people usually get Tourettes Syndrome?? Or is it right away when they are young?

Question

My husband has a minor case of Tourettes syndrome, and he didnt realize it till now when hes 27... when he was younger he used to do little things and he just thought he had OCD... But now he realized that he could really have Tourettes..

ANYWAYS... he has to children that seem normal, but we were wondering if you usually start seeing signs right away, especially if he only has a minor case of it?????????????????//

Answer 1

Rarely do Tourettes go undiagnosed into adulthood unless its a mild case. The father has a 50/50 chance of passing similar genes to your children which may result in Tourettes or a spectrum of the disease, but b/c it the disease has variable expression (may vary in severity) and incomplete penetrance (those who inherit the disease do NOT have any characteristics of the genes), they may not display any signs of Tourettes, but may very well pass it to their children.
For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourettes

Answer 2

Tourettes is lifelong and there is not a cure. Tourettes usually (but not ALWAYS) presents in childhood at about 6-7-8 years old. He may have OCD. It is not unusual to have Tourettes, plus OCD, and/or ADD, and/or ADHD, etc...

Tourettes is difficult to diagnose in young children, because you just can't ask a 4-5 year old "honey, did you just move your arm, or are you having uncontrolled muscle movements?" Also there is not "one" test to diagnose TS. Tourettes is diagnosed by oral history from the parents and observation. EEG's only rule out other disorders, which is important also.

The best advice I give to parents who think that their child may have TS is "don't panic". Having Tourettes is not the worst thing in the world! When you spend any amount of time in a Pediatric Neurology waiting room, you will learn to count your blessings, FAST!

I also say "when the tics and/or vocal tremors are very obvious, video tape your child while he is at play and unaware of the camera". This will prevent him/her from "hamming it up" for the camera. Take notes of when and how often the tics happen.

Take this information to your regular physician and ask for a referral to a Pediatric Neurologist. Take the video camera (to show the tape), your notes and your husband with you. For some reason, Physicians will listen to a SET of parents rather than a mom by herself. They tend to attribute what you are saying to "hysterical mom". I had to switch pediatricians until someone listened!

Best wishes for a positive outcome.

Answer 3

I agree with myself and Stormy: you can't catch Tourette Syndrome, and our world is made up of many different people. Children cannot be sheltered but should learn to adapt and get along with the diversity that is our human race and see people for who they are, not what disability or difference they might have. My son has high functioning autism and I got a little attitude from the other Cub Scout moms after he was diagnosed but now as a teenager he is very accepted in his regular classes at school and at church youth group where they play very fun and active games.

Answer 4

Mine started at 11, which is pretty late. I had other symptoms first like severe anxiety and ADD. OCD and Tourette syndrome are the same disorder, just tics with one.
I have a daughter that had a little nervous tic (neck ligament drawing) when she was young. She has nothing now, no OCD, TS, depression, etc.
The most worrisome symptom of TS/OCD is mindracing. An antidepressant will usually stop that.

Answer 5

Tics may appear up to the age of eighteen, but the most typical age of onset is from age five to age seven. The ages of highest tic severity are eight to twelve (average ten), with tics steadily declining for most patients as they pass through adolescence. The most common, first-presenting tics are eye blinking, facial movements, sniffing and throat clearing. Initial tics present most frequently in midline body regions where there are many muscles, usually the head, neck and facial region

Answer 6

I think that it is around 18 to 2, but with proper screening they can sometimes predict that it is coming.