Initial manifestations of Tourette’s syndrome in children

  Tic disorder in children is one of the pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders. It is a chronic tic disorder that is characterized by sudden, fixed or wandering involuntary contractions of muscles or muscle groups anywhere in the body. It can occur in a group of muscles in one part of the body, or it can involve multiple parts simultaneously or sequentially. Each twitch is very similar and recurrent.  Tic disorder is a chronic condition that fluctuates, with periodic remissions and relapses. The main manifestations are motor tics, vocal tics, and accompanying psychological and behavioral abnormalities.  (1) The first symptoms of tic disorder can be motor or vocal tics, or both. The first symptom is usually eye, face, or head twitching, and then gradually progresses to the neck, shoulders, limbs, and trunk, from simple motor twitching to complex motor twitching. Blinking is the most common first symptom, followed by opening the mouth, nodding the head, shrugging the shoulders, shaking the head, pouting the mouth, and shrugging the nose. In some cases, vocal twitching is the first symptom.  (2) Motor tics usually start from the face and gradually progress to the head, neck and shoulder muscles, and then spread to the trunk and extremities. They are characterized by blinking, frowning, and sucking movements.  (3) Vocal twitching is characterized by repeated dry coughing, throat clearing, humming, and also repeated imitation and repetition of speech, mostly occurring during conversation, especially at the end of sentences or when there is a pause.