|Click on the links below for recent updates, latest research on Tourette's, and current Tourette's information|
|• Recent Tourette's Research Findings & Announcements|
|• Tourette Syndrome Books, Videos, DVDs|
|
|Click on the links below for recent updates, latest research on Tourette's, and current Tourette's information|
|• Recent Tourette's Research Findings & Announcements|
|• Tourette Syndrome Books, Videos, DVDs|
|• Tourette's Hall of Fame/Shame|
|• Tourette FAQ and Quotable Quotes|
|• Tourette's stories in the Media and on the Internet|
|• Explaining Tourette's to children or talking about Tourette syndrome in the classroom|
ALL ABOUT TOURETTE'S SYNDROME
"Because there are so few anatomic (by imaging) or neurobehavioral abnormalities associated with pure Tourette syndrome, it is important to inform the parents of these children, who comprise 40% of all children with Tourette syndrome, that their future is not burdened with the same issues as those of the remaining 60% of children who have comorbid ADHD with Tourette syndrome." Martha Bridge Denckla, MD. "Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Comorbidity: A Case of "Pure" Tourette Syndrome?" J Child Neurol. 2006 Aug;21(8):701-3.
Table of Contents
Terms relevant to Tourette Syndrome
Ascertainment or referral bias
Epidemiological study/broad-based population sample
DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of Tourette's disorder
Tourette Syndrome Plus
Tourette's Syndrome Concepts
Learning Disabilities in Tourette's
Classroom Accommodations for Tourette's
The "2/3 rule"
Other Conditions and Tourette's
Medicatio for Tourette Syndrome
" Rage " attacks, anger, temper and Tourette Syndrome
If you’re new to Tourette Syndrome, please read this section carefully; these terms and concepts will help you better interpret the rest of what you will read as you learn about Tourette's.
Tourette Syndrome is a neurobiological condition resulting in motor and vocal tics. Some common tics include coughing, throat clearing, sniffing, blinking, shoulder shrugging, arm thrusts, or neck stretching. Some researchers believe that a subtype of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) may be genetically linked to Tourette's. There’s not too much else that has been conclusively shown to be "part of" Tourette Syndrome. A lot of literature about Tourette's is misleading, and sorting it all out can be very difficult. The following topics, concepts, clarifications and definitions may be useful as you read those sites about Tourette Syndrome.
A spectrum disorder occurs along a continuum, from severe to mild and a syndrome is a medical condition that is diagnosed based on a history of a collection of symptoms rather than via a specific medical test. There is currently no clinical means of medically testing for Tourette's: it is diagnosed based on a history of tics which wax and wane and had a childhood onset, and after ruling out other conditions which might cause tourettism or other secondary causes of tics. Tourette's syndrome is a spectrum disorder, with VERY few people falling in the severe range. Claims that Tourette's is on the "same spectrum" as autism (e.g.; Pervasive Developmental Disorders), ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder), bipolar (manic-depression), etc. are controversial and not accepted by all researchers. Milder expressions of Tourette Syndrome are probably less likely to be recognized and/or diagnosed, and a recent research suggests that the vast majority of Tourette's goes undetected. Back to Top
Comorbid refers to a medical condition that is present along with another medical condition, and doesn’t necessarily mean their causes are related or one leads to the other, etc. Some people mistakenly interpret the term comorbid to mean separate medical conditions that are related to the same cause or genetically linked. Bac