Symptoms of Tourette's syndrome. Tics are the main symptom of Tourette's syndrome. They usually appear in childhood between the ages of 2 and 14 (around 6 years is the average). People with Tourette's syndrome have a combination of physical and vocal tics.

Can you develop Tourette's?

Tourette syndrome is a genetic disorder, which means it's the result of a change in genes that's either inherited (passed on from parent to child) or happens during development in the womb. As with other genetic disorders, someone may have a tendency to develop TS.

What does the beginning of Tourette's look like?

Motor tics — sudden, apparently uncontrollable movements such as exaggerated eye blinking, grimacing, head jerking, or shoulder shrugging. Vocal tics — such as repeated throat clearing, sniffing, or humming.