Q: How are tics classified?

A: Two categories of TS tics (Simple & Complex) and some common examples are:

"Simple"

Motor - Eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, head jerking, arm thrusting and facial grimacing.

Vocal - Throat clearing, sniffing, barking, whistling, tongue clicking and other noises.

"Complex"

Motor - Jumping, touching other people or things, smelling fingers or objects, twirling about and self-injurious actions including hitting and biting oneself.

Vocal - Uttering ordinary words or phrases out of context, echolalia (repeating a sound, word, or phrase just heard) and in about a third of TS cases, coprolalia (vocalizing socially unacceptable words).

The spectrum of tics in TS appears almost limitless, if the action is repetitive and serves little or no purpose (with no other underlying medical reason) it is most likely a tic. The complexity of some symptoms often confuses family members, friends, employers and teachers who may find it difficult to believe that the actions or vocal utterances are "involuntary". visual/motor integration occur in approximately 15% of TS individuals seen in clinical settings