April TAA chapter activity

Learn to Curl like an Olympian!! -Just a reminder that there are 2 weeks left before our April Curling Event. Bring your  siblings and friends, and Come Join Us!! Missouri Tourette Chapter Curling Event WHEN: Saturday, April 15, 6:30 – 9:15 PM WHERE: Creve Coeur Ice Arena 11400 Olde Cabin Rd., Creve Coeur, MO 63141 […]

Distinguishing between compulsions and complex tics

The answer is not simple. Often the answer is obvious–always washing your hands 5 times is a compulsion. Yelling “What’s that?!” many times a day because it just feels like you have to is a complex tic. Even when the phenomenology is less classic, one can usually tell them apart by asking why the person […]

Prognosis of tic disorders

We summarized what is known about the course of tic disorders over time, including what we know about predicting outcome in individual patients. Last year we published a review article that summarizes what is known about the important and common question, “hey, doc, will the tics get worse or go away?” Some of this information […]

Tic Talk 2020 final survey results

Twenty-seven people responded to our survey asking people what content they wanted for our Tic Talk 2020 meeting (May 2, here at Wash. U.). Thank you! Most respondents (81%) were family members of someone with tics. And … the envelope, please! Here are the main results: Topics you are interested in: Tics at school, working […]

Tic Talk 2020 initial survey results

Below is a brief summary of the results from the first 21 people to take the survey. If you haven’t already responded, we’d love your input to help us design Tic Talk 2020 by taking this short 5-question survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8XT6Z7K Topics you are interested in: Tics and school: 76% How psychological factors or situations influence tics: […]

Help us plan content for Tic Talk 2020

Tic Talk 2020 is on! Saturday, May 2, 2020, at Wash. U. School of Medicine. We want to hear from you about what topics we should cover. Please take this short 5-question survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8XT6Z7K Thank you!

TAA Center of Excellence designation

In June of this year, the Tourette Association of America chose Washington University as a Center of Excellence! This designation recognizes the longstanding breadth and depth of expertise in patient care and research of our colleagues here at WUSTL and of the Greater Missouri TAA chapter. Hooray and thank you! However, we know we haven’t […]

Treating tics: an overview

What can I do for my child with tics? The first question is whether s/he needs treatment. Most children probably don’t. All of our current treatments just reduce the symptoms. A key question is, are the tics really interfering (now) with schoolwork or friendship, or interfering with other students’ learning? If so, then that’s a […]

TicTrainer software description

We have just published a revised description of the software that runs TicTrainer.com, which is meant to help people practice tic suppression in a video-game-like format with help from a third party observer (like a parent or clinician). Here is further information.

“Rage attacks” in children with tics

A couple of our recent study volunteers had serious problems with what you could variously call sudden tantrums, explosive outbursts, or brief violence. Of course, kids with tics can have all the problems anyone else can have. But about 1 in 5 children with Tourette syndrome have experiences that have been called “rage attacks.” These rage […]

ADHD medications and tics

Recently, two different families asked me about whether it was safe for their child with tics to take medication for ADHD. Short answer: yes, it’s safe. Here’s the long answer. ADHD is very common in children with tics—nearly half of children with Tourette syndrome (TS) have ADHD. So the question comes up often. First I […]

Is it OK to talk with my child about the tics?

In our study of children whose tics began just over the past few months, I have encountered several parents who have been hesitant to have any discussion at all with their child about the tics. Here are my thoughts on the subject. Behavior therapy experts recommend creating a “tic-neutral environment.”1 In part, this means that […]