Tourette's syndrome - Diagnosing Tourette's syndrome
- Introduction
- Symptoms of Tourette's syndrome
- Causes of Tourette's syndrome
- Diagnosing Tourette's syndrome
- Treating Tourette's syndrome
- Problems associated with Tourette's syndrome
- "The urge to perform the tic is overwhelming"
The first stage in diagnosing Tourette’s syndrome is to rule out other possible causes of your child’s symptoms.
Other possible causes include:
- allergies – if they are sniffing and coughing
- vision problems – if they are blinking more than usual
It is also necessary to rule out other conditions that can cause tic-like behaviours, such as:
- autistic spectrum disorder – a developmental disorder that causes problems with social interaction, learning and behaviour, and may cause mannerisms or stereotypies (repetitive movements) that can be mistaken for tics
- dystonia – a condition that causes involuntary muscle spasms
To help rule out these conditions, your child may be referred to a number of experts, such as:
- a neurologist – a doctor who specialises in treating conditions that affect the brain and nervous system
- a psychiatrist – a doctor who specialises in treating mental health conditions
- an educational or clinical psychologist – healthcare professionals who work with children who have learning, developmental or behavioural difficulties
Brain-imaging scans can also be used to check for any brain or nervous system abnormalities that could suggest a neurological cause for your child’s symptoms, other than Tourette’s syndrome. However, most children with tics or Tourette’s syndrome do not require a brain scan.
Scans that can be used include a:
- computerised tomography (CT) scan – where a series of X-rays are taken to build up a detailed 3D image of the brain
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan – where strong magnetic fields are used to produce a detailed image of the inside of the brain
Confirming the diagnosis
There is currently no single test for Tourette’s syndrome. A diagnosis can only be made by assessing your child’s symptoms to see whether they follow the pattern that is usually associated with the syndrome.
A confident diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome can usually be made if your child:
- has symptoms that are not being caused by other medical conditions or any medication you are taking
- started having tics before 18 years of age
- has had several physical tics and at least one vocal tic
- has tics that occur many times during the day, virtually every day
- has been having tics for at least a year
© Crown Copyright 2009
