Motor tics can be repeated movements, such as shoulder shrugs or touching things. Vocal tics can include repeated sounds, such as throat clearing or making a specific noise.
Coprolalia, or saying rude words or swearing, is perhaps the most well-known sign of TS but in fact only affects a few individuals with TS - NHS.
While there are areas in which individuals with TS may experience challenges, such as hyper-arousal (which can then lead to tiredness), or distractibility, many individuals with TS have increased ability in areas such as creativity, verbal communication, hyper-focus, and many more.
Facts
- over 300,000 children and adults are living with TS in the UK
- the involuntary sounds or movements associated with TS are called Tics
- TS is a genetic condition that often runs in families
- many famous people have TS (for example, Dan Aykroyd, Tim Howard, Howie Mandel, Seth Rogan, David Beckham, Billie Eilish, Lewis Capaldi, Jamie Grace, and Lele Pons)