Friday Facts! Tourette Syndrome

Welcome to Friday Facts! here on the Knowledge Safari blog. Each week we aim to shine the spotlight on various segments of special needs in order to raise awareness and provide information. Today we focus on Tourette Syndrome.

If you know of an area that needs some attention, please let us know in the comments section!


What Is Tourette Syndrome?

Tourette syndrome (TS) is named for the French doctor Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who first described the condition in 1885. It is thought that in most cases it is a genetic condition that's inherited, or passed on from parent to child. Doctors and scientists don't know the exact cause of TS, but some research suggests that it occurs when there are changes in the brain and problems with how nerve cells communicate. A disturbance in the balance of neurotransmitters — chemicals in the brain that carry nerve signals from cell to cell — may play a role in TS. Tourette syndrome is not contagious.

Symptoms of Tourette syndrome usually emerge in childhood or in the teenage years. TS isn't common — only about 3 in every 1,000 people has the condition. Boys are more likely to have it.
To be diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, a person must have several different types of tics — specifically, multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic.

This above has been taken from and more can be read at Kidshealth.org