How to Diagnose Tourette's Syndrome

Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological condition in which an individual suffers from vocal tics--involving speech patterns--and motor tics. A hereditary disorder, Tourette's Syndrome is often diagnosed at an early age. It affects anywhere from one to 11 children out of every 1,000. Read on to learn more about how to diagnose Tourette's Syndrome.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Physician
• Neurologist

1. Note all of the phonic tics that are considered symptomatic of Tourette's Syndrome. They include phonic tics (uttering sudden or unexpected phrases), coprolalia (blurting out obscenities or taboo words), echolalia (repeating the words of others) or palilalia (repeating one's own words).
2. Observe the motor tics that may accompany the onset of Tourette's Syndrome. These motor, or physical, tics may include excessive eye blinking, coughing, clearing of the throat and sniffing, as well as various types of involuntary facial movements or expressions.
3. Diagnose the possibility of Tourette's Syndrome by documenting the frequency and length of occurrence for these various types of tics over the course of a year. The possibility of Tourette's Syndrome will be eliminated if the patient has at least three consecutive months without symptoms.
4. Eliminate the possibility that the phonic and motor tics may be caused by a more serious medical condition, such as autism, carbon monoxide poisoning or epilepsy, by seeing a physician. Tests, such as EEGs, will be conducted to note whether the electrical activity of the brain is normal.
5. Find out whether there are any other secondary symptoms that are common to sufferers of Tourette's Syndrome, such as insomnia, hyperactivity, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit disorder (ADD), as well as certain types of learning disabilities. Note that symptoms of Tourette's Syndrome almost always appear before the sufferer reaches the age of 18, with a peak in diagnoses occurring between the ages of five and seven.
6. Check to see whether the motor tics or patterns are actually reactions to other physical conditions, such as asthma, food allergies and vision problems. The first person to diagnose Tourette's Syndrome in a child is often an ophthalmologist or allergist.
7. Schedule a referral with a neurological specialist to confirm your physician's initial diagnosis of Tourette's Syndrome.

Tips & Warnings

• While most people know Tourette's Syndrome as the neurological disorder that causes people to blurt out obscenities unexpectedly, this symptom is actually fairly uncommon. Known as coprolalia, this symptom appears in less than 15 percent of Tourette's sufferers. It is not a required condition for a proper diagnosis.