A doctor has outlined some of the signs that could suggest a child has Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological condition that typically first appears during childhood.
Tourette’s has been in the spotlight recently after John Davidson’s tics were heard during the BAFTAs broadcast on February 22.
Davidson lives with the neurological disorder, and reports say viewers were warned ahead of the ceremony that his tics are involuntary.
Even with that forewarning, many people were taken aback when a racial slur was heard while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage.
BAFTA has since apologised to both actors, and Davidson also released a statement saying that he felt ‘deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning’.
Because tics are often the most visible symptom people notice, it’s common for them to be quickly linked with Tourette’s. However, Dr Suzanne Wylie, a GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor, says there’s a major misunderstanding about what Tourette’s usually looks like.
She said: “One of the biggest misconceptions about Tourette’s is that it always involves the dramatic or socially inappropriate behaviours often portrayed in the media; most people with Tourette’s have milder tics and very many never exhibit the more complex vocalisations that people associate with the condition from television or film.”
Dr Wylie added: “There is also a misunderstanding that Tourette’s is a psychiatric problem when in reality it is a neurodevelopmental condition, and while it can be associated with co-occurring conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or obsessive-compulsive behaviours, the tics themselves are not a sign of mental illness.”
Dr Wylie says Tourette’s most often starts when children are young—commonly between the ages of five and seven—and early symptoms can be easy to miss.
“Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological condition that many people have heard of but often do not fully understand, and as a GP I would want to start by explaining that it usually begins in childhood,” said Dr Wylie.
“Early signs that can be quite subtle such as simple motor tics like eye-blinking, facial grimacing or shoulder shrugging, often followed over time by vocal tics which might start as simple throat-clearing or sniffing.”
She also noted that tic patterns can change over time, and that heightened emotions—such as stress or excitement—can make them stand out more.
At present, there isn’t a single confirmed cause of Tourette’s syndrome.
Dr Wylie explained: “In terms of what causes Tourette’s, the exact mechanisms are not fully understood but it is known to involve differences in the way certain brain circuits regulate movement and behaviour, particularly involving neurotransmitters like dopamine; there is a strong genetic component so it often runs in families, though not everyone who carries the genetic predisposition will develop the condition, and environmental factors may also play a role in how symptoms manifest.”