ons. These involuntary movements are called tics. There are two kinds of tics, motor/physical and vocal. Motor tics can be simple or complex in appearance. Simple motor tics are abrupt, sudden, and brief movements, occurring in a single or isolated manner. Examples of simple motor tics include eye blinking, head jerking, shoulder shrugging and facial grimacing. Complex tics are distinct, coordinated patterns of sequential movements. Examples of complex tics include such acts as touching the nose, touching other people, smelling objects, jumping, copropraxia (obscene gestures), and echopraxia (mimicking movements preformed by others), head shaking associated with shoulder shrugging, and repetitive kicking of the legs (Shimber 25). Complex physical tics among Tourette’s patients are uncommon and only found among a small population. Motor tics usually recur in the same part of the body, and multiple regions of the body can be involved. The expressions of the tics are not necessarily identical from occurrence to occurrence, even within the same body part. Tics often recede from one part of the body and evolve elsewhere. Vocal or phonic tics are caused by air moving through the mouth, nose, or throat. Vocal tics can be subdivided into simple and complex. Simple vocal tics include sounds, groans, grunting, hissing, gurgling, gasping, belching, screaming, snorting, shouting, puffing and other mouth noises. Complex vocal tics consist of uttering words or phrases out of context and coprolalia (vocalizing socially unacceptable words).Thursfield 3There are several associated behaviors in addition to the tics that Tourette’s patients suffer from. One of the most common disorders is Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity (ADD or ADHD). Symptoms of ADD may include: difficulty with concentration, falling to finish what is started, not listening, and often acting before thinking (Shimberg 74). Tourette’s patients...
