Sections
Clinical Description | Epidemiology | Etiology | Course and Prognosis | Diagnostic Evaluation | Treatment | Tic Disorders Summary
Excerpt
A tic is a rapid, involuntary,
and apparently meaningless movement or vocalization. Most simple
tics go unnoticed or fail to reach a level of conscious awareness.
Many children are not bothered by their motor tics and frequently
display some indifference toward them. Vocal tics are frequently disruptive
and distressing. Often these are inaccurately described as disruptive
habits. In general, tics are sensitive to stress and fatigue. They
wax and wane in severity, but for most children, they are not progressive
(Walkup et al. 2006; Table 21–27).