how many of you have tics?

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I was diagnosed with adhd, and self diagnosed aspergers(although my current doctor is on board). Does anyone here have wierd tics like sticking your tongue out?.

ADHD is commonly co-morbid with Tourette's Syndrome. You sound like you might have that.

Yes. I don't have Tourettes, but do have two or possibly 3 tics. For example, my eye will twitch and my leg will jerk.

tourretes is also commonly co morbid with aspergers

True, though Tourette's has specific criteria, iirc, aside from having tics at all. You have to have two or more motor tics and at least one vocal tic.

I have persistent motor tics, but since I don't have any vocal tics I wouldn't be diagnosed with Tourette's. So I would have "persistent motor tic disorder", according to google.

I finally found a place that will screen for it but I don't have the EF to inquire.

I"m not sure how they differentiate motor tics from stims, and vocal tics from echolalia.

I make all sorts of random sounds.

I have motor tic disorder as I don't have any vocal tics. I take haloperidol every night for it and that keeps the tics away for the most part.

Stims are something you do that feels good and because it feels good, or because you are trying to self regulate in an overstimulating environment. You may feel an urge to do them, but ultimately you are still in control.

My tics just happen without my control. Maybe complex tics (which I don't have) are a bit different, from what I've heard, those can be painful to try to suppress and it can make them worse.

Google is telling me that echolalia can be a part of Tourette's, no idea if true.

At a previous job, when I felt a bit stressed by some problem with the machinery, I had a habit of running my hand through my hair once. I wasn't consciously aware I was doing, but a coworker noticed it and pointed it out. I don't know if I still do it under certain stress.

I like to chew toothpicks in stressful situations, like heavy traffic. I always thought of it as an oral fixation like smoking, but now that I know about ASD I suppose it classifies as a kind of stim. Other than that I don't really stim, other than general figiting.

Stims you do irregularly to feel less stressed. I think it's possible to resist the desire to stim. If you don't feel stressed you don't feel the desire to stim.

Tics you do compulsively to make the urge to do them go away, and they are almost impossible to resist. While tics can become worse with stress and better with less stress, they never completely go away.

Tics are usually also brief; a quick movement or sound. Stims tend to go on for awhile.

A current coworker pumps his leg constantly when sitting in a chair. I've pointed out several times to him that's unusual. It might be he drinks too many Monsters, but considering his overall behavior I'm pretty sure he had undiagnosed impulsive ADHD.

My stims happen without my control. I don't consciously decide to do them. I'm not consciously aware that they're alleviating stress, and I don't think they're always related to stress. I do have SPD / SID (Sensory Processing / Sensory Integration Disorder) so I know I'm hypo- and hyper-stimulated and that stims play into that, but my OT who diagnosed it didn't mention testing for Tourette's. Maybe she wasn't qualified.

My ADHD diagnostic place advertises that they can arrange testing through the regular healthcare system, which would make it free. I should add that to my list for today and inquire. I actually emailed them about it a few months ago but they didn't reply. I'm just curious because my stimming is off-the-charts to the point it was considered self-harm and I had to take Resperidol for it. I even stim in my sleep.

Yes very much so caused a lot of discrimination problems in my younger years

OK - the ball is rolling. I just talked to my ADHD place which has a doctor on staff to do a remote consultation about Tourette's. There's no follow up, though. They'll just give a list of recommendations to my GP after the appointment, and I go from there.

I have to get a referral from my GP to do the consult. The Tourette's doctor has availability in the next few weeks once I get the referral sent in.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

Their website says they usually recommend a therapy called CBIT:

CBIT, which stands for Comprehensive Behavioural Intervention for Tics. CBIT is an exciting, well-researched, and scientifically-supported behaviour therapy designed specifically to help individuals with Tic Disorders lessen their tics. CBIT is a drug-free option for tic management done with a therapist trained in this technique ...

Large-scale studies show that CBIT can result in significant reductions in tic severity in over half the clients who undergo this drug-free treatment. CBIT is not a cure for Tic Disorders or Tourette Syndrome, but it can create remarkable improvements in those who respond well to the treatment.


I assumed they do the CBIT there, but I guess not since they said there's no followup except for the recommendations to my doctor.

I did have certain tics when I was a child. Outgrew them all by late teens.

Tourette's has an evil twin which is OCD too, although the OCD is the Tourette’s not a separate disorder.

I suppose it’s better than the well known impulsive swear words the condition is known for but it’s still a debilitating condition.

I’ve had tics since 7 years old that get worse with stress

I used to have them, but it went away.

Which is itself basically a cliche. Only about 10% of people with Tourettes should profanity as their verbal tic. Mostly it's little squeaks and noises like that.