Tics and Tourette in Children: What Parents Need to Know
If your child has started blinking, shrugging, sniffing, or making sounds they can't seem to control, this section explains what tics look like at different ages, how to tell a common passing tic from something like Tourette syndrome, and when it's worth an in-person evaluation. Every article is written for you as a parent, so you'll leave knowing what's happening, how worried to be, and what to do next.
New tics are common in school-age children. Most are brief.
If your 6-year-old has started blinking hard, shrugging, or clearing their throat over and over, take a breath: transient tics are remarkably common, especially in children roughly ages 4 to 8, and most fade within months. Tics are involuntary, your child isn't doing it on purpose, and drawing attention to it or punishing it tends to make things worse.
Some patterns warrant evaluation: tics that persist beyond a year, multiple motor tics plus vocal tics (which is the picture of Tourette syndrome), tics that are painful or interfere with school and social life, or movements that look different from typical tics, rhythmic, happening in sleep, or coming with other changes. Tics also commonly travel with attention and anxiety difficulties, which is part of why a full picture matters.
A neurological evaluation can confirm that what you're seeing is a tic, rule out less common movement disorders, and give you a realistic sense of the likely course. Dr. Sedgh trained in both pediatrics and neurology and evaluates movement concerns from early childhood through age 18. If your child's tics are persisting, multiplying, or worrying you, you can request an in-person evaluation.
What I actually do for tics and tourette.
Movement, sound, or both
Blinks and shrugs are motor. Throat clearing and little noises are vocal. Both together, over a long time, is a different conversation.
How new they are
Tics that started this season are often temporary. Tics present for many months deserve a clearer description.
Interference
Pain, embarrassment that stops participation, or tics that crowd out speech are reasons to evaluate rather than only watch.
Look-alikes
Staring spells and compulsive rituals are not tics. The history is how they are told apart.
How a booking with me actually goes.
Describe without naming
What moves or what sound, how often, and when it started. A short video is useful.
Exam
A neurological exam to separate tics from other spells and to see whether anything else is present.
Watch or treat as a later question
Many children are rechecked rather than medicated. Any medicine discussion stays in the visit, not on this page.
Things people ask before they book.
What should I show you?
Since tics often hide in the exam room, a short phone video of the movements is one of the most useful things you can bring. Dr. Sedgh will review when the tics started, how they've changed, and whether there are accompanying attention or anxiety concerns, then examine your child to confirm the movements are tics and not something else.
Are treatment prices on this page?
Cost depends on your insurance and the scope of the evaluation, and we don't publish fixed fees on patient pages. The practice can talk through expected costs when you request a visit.
Do transient tics need follow-up?
The initial evaluation happens in one visit. Because tics wax and wane naturally, the plan often includes watching the pattern over months, many childhood tics resolve on their own, with follow-up if they persist or begin to interfere with your child's life.
Are new tics an emergency?
Usually no. New blinking, shrugging, or throat clearing in a school-age child is common and often temporary. Ask sooner if the movements are painful, rapidly changing with other neurological signs, or you are not sure they are tics.
Does a week of blinking mean Tourette?
No. Tourette is not a label for a short run of one tic. It is a clinical description used when both movements and sounds have been part of the picture for a long time. That judgment belongs in a visit.