Diagnosing Tourette's syndrome

The first stage  in diagnosing Tourettes syndrome is to rule out other possible causes of your childs symptoms. Other possible causes include: Indoor allergy   if they're sniffing and coughing vision problems  if they're blinking more than usual It's also necessary to rule out other conditions that can cause tic-like behaviours, such as: autistic spectrum disorder   a developmental disorder which 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 affecting 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, such as computerised tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, can also be used to check for any brain or nervous system abnormalities suggesting a neurological cause for your childs symptoms, other than Tourettes syndrome. However, most children with tics or Tourettes syndrome don't require a brain scan. Confirming the diagnosis There's currently no single test for Tourettes syndrome. A diagnosis can only be made by assessing your childs symptoms to see whether they follow the pattern usually associated with the syndrome. A confident diagnosis of Tourettes syndrome can usually be made if your child: has symptoms that are not being caused by other medical conditions or any medication they 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 Tourettes Action If your child is diagnosed with Tourettes syndrome, you may want to find out as much as you can about it, including available treatments and support. A good place to start is Tourettes Action , a UK charity for people with the syndrome.