Tics or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can lead to many frustrating symptoms for someone who is ADD or ADHD. Would you recognize a facial tic or a motor involuntary tic if you saw one on your child?

By definition, there are two kinds of tics. The first is a motor tic, which is a rapid, repetitive, involuntary movement of a muscle. A motor tic can be either simple or complex. Although motor tics can be the first sign of Tourette's syndrome, many tics are seen in people with ADD or ADHD.

The simple motor tic is usually one kind of movement and involves only one group of muscles. These may be seen as excessive blinking, head swaying, foot tapping, shoulder shrugging, or even finger tapping. Simple motor tics may not be noticed unless excessive, although motor tics tend to worsen under stress.

A complex motor tic usually involves more than one muscle and is an intricate series of repetitive movement. There are two well-known complex motor tics. The first is echopraxia, which is where one imitates a series of movements he or she just witnessed. The next one is copropraxia is where on is known to imitate inappropriate or obscene movements.

If a motor tic appears only after starting a stimulant medication, it is known as chronic tic syndrome. Usually if the stimulant is discontinued the tic will go away. Yet, it is imperative parents weigh the risks of continuing the medication and living with a tic as a side effect, versus taking a very hyperactive child off the medication and risking injury due to high impulsivity. There are medications that will help decrease simple motor tics when taken in conjunction with a stimulant.

If there is a family history of OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a child is at a higher risk for developing tics. Simple vocal tics are any tics that involve sounds coming from the larynx, tongue, throat sinuses or mouth. Vocal tics can include, snorting, sniffing, grunting, clearing the throat, and coughing.

Complex vocal tics use more than one muscle group and are more elaborate, including noises like barking, whistling, coprolalia, echolalia, and palilalia.
Coprolalia is using inappropriate words. Echolalia is the repeating of words or sounds made by another person, where palilalia involves one repeating the sounds he or she makes.

The most important aspect for parents and teachers to remember about simple or complex tic is that they are sudden, repetitive, and involuntary. To yell or reprimand a child for doing something he may not even realize he or she is doing is not going to do anything but cause the individual to eventually recognize he or she is different and distracting and most likely it will lead to lowered self esteem and emotional upset.

If a child displays a simple or complex motor tic, have the child medically evaluated by a doctor to rule out other diagnosis of Tourette’s or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. If a tic is due to stimulant medication, the tic will often worsen if the stimulant dose is increased. Only after a physical exam by a physician will a parent know if there is an underlying medical cause for the simple or complex tic.

To discuss different kinds of simple and complex tics you have experienced or seen in your child please post a thread in the free ADD forum.