Tourette's, Tic Disorders and AD/HD

Tic Disorders and ADHD

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Last Update 10/08/07

Tourette Syndrome—Now What?
Raising awareness about the full spectrum of Tourette's disorder, with support and accurate information based on the latest research.
TSNW • TSNowWhat • TouretteNowWhat • Tourette Syndrome Now What?

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Click on the links below for recent updates, latest research on Tourette's, and current Tourette's information

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• Explaining Tourette's to children or talking about Tourette syndrome in the classroom

Excerpts from:

The 4-Year Course of Tic Disorders in Boys With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Thomas Spencer, MD; Joseph Biederman, MD; Barbara Coffey, MD; Daniel Geller, MD; Timothy Wilens; MD; Stephen Faraone, PhD, Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol 56, No. 9, September 1999, pp 842-847.

In order to examine tic disorders in an ongoing prospective follow-up study of males with ADHD, 128 male children and adolescents with ADHD and 110 male controls were evaluated at baseline and then again 4 years later. The study attempted to answer questions such as whether stimulant treatment precipitates or worsens tics and whether stimulants adversely affect the outcome of tic disorders. "Whether comorbid tics affect the course of ADHD and whether treatment for ADHD affects the course of tics has important clinical implications" in the risk vs. benefit analysis of stimulant treatment of children with ADHD.

The preliminary study concluded that "comorbidity with a tic disorder has a limited effect on ADHD outcome."

Results:
"Compared with controls, subjects with ADHD showed more tic disorders at baseline and more new onsets were reported at follow-up. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and tic disorders appeared to be independent in course: in contrast to low rates of ADHD remission, tic disorders mostly remitted. The age adjusted rate of ADHD remission was 20% and that of tic remission, 65%. Tic disorders had little effect on the psychosocial functioning of subjects with ADHD."

"The overall rate of tic disorders was significantly greater in the children with ADHD vs. controls" (34% vs. 6%).

"No statistically significant differences were detected between subjects with ADHD with and without comorbid tic disorders in any of the multiple outcome measures assessed: psychopathological, cognitive, interpersonal, family, and school functioning."

"The rate of onset of tic disorders did not differ by either the presence or absence of lifetime exposure to stimulants or recent exposure to stimulants."

"Our results suggest that the treatment of ADHD with stimulants has a limited effect on the course of tics."

"The findings presented in this report should be evaluated in light of their methodological limitations."

"Despite these limitations, our findings from a large sample of male children and adolescents with ADHD suggest that while tic disorders are overrepresented in ADHD, they have a limited effect on the course of ADHD."

(Just a note: this website was designed for newcomers to Tourette's syndrome, to be read through in page order.
You can browse the pages in the order you desire, but if you're new to Tourette syndrome,
you may get a better overview by reading through the pages in order, by clicking on the Next Page links throughout.)

Strengths and advantages associated with Tourette's syndrome
Medical literature supports the common lore that children with Tourette syndrome have uncommon gifts.

Growing up with Tourette's Syndrome: Information for Kids
A new website about Tourette syndrome, with information targeted to ages 5–8, ages 9–13, and a section for parents.

HBO Documentary on Tourette's Syndrome
I Have Tourette's but Tourette's Doesn't Have Me
Video clips of Tourette's syndrome HBO Documentary

First Five Things to Do After Your Child Is Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome
I may not agree with all of them, but # 1 is interesting.

Tourette Syndrome Research Article Summary

Controversy, myth, and inaccurate information about Tourette syndrome
Dr. Phil on Tourette's syndrome and Asperger's syndrome: "Extreme Disorders" and brain imaging
Dr. Laura Schlessinger on Tourette's
David Comings, M.D. - Hope Press - The Gene Bomb
Inaccurate definition of Tourette's Syndrome by Joseph Jankovic, M.D. in the New England Journal of Medicine
Deep Brain Stimulation, Tourette's Syndrome, and "Miracle Workers"

Disclaimer - Just a Mom !
I am not a medical person and am not qualified to give medical advice.
Please discuss your treatment with your personal physician.
PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT affiliated with another Tourette's website which uses the tourettenowwhat name!
(Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? Or another webmaster trick to derive traffic from my name?)

A word about spelling
The official name of the condition, according to the DSM-IV-TR, 307.23, is Tourette's disorder.
Tourette's is also referred to as TS, Tourette Syndrome, Tourette's syndrome, GTS, and Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome.
Common misspellings are tourettes syndrome, tourretts, tourrettes, touretts, terrets, terets, turettes, turetts, turets, turetes and turrets syndrom.
Tourette's disease is a common misnomer (it's not a disease).
Tick is a common misspelling: ticks are nasty critters that suck blood from dogs and people. People with Tourette's disorder have tics.