Posting this for my own reference…makes it easier to find and people have been asking me about it.?? There are many lists out there.?? This one came from:?? http://tourettenowwhat.tripod.com/all_about_tics.htm
When you read these lists, don’t get too concerned if you identify with a lot on the list because many of these items are easy habits that are not “tics”.?? It’s when you do them often (very often), often in repetition, aren’t aware you are doing them, have a compulsive urge to do them that is hard to fight or can’t fight, or you “feel” them coming on.?? By the way…I just made that list of “whens” up but it is a generally summary of stuff I have read differentiating tics from other things.
MOTOR TICS
Abdominal jerking, abdominal tensing
Adjusting crotch area, adjusting wedgie
Ankle flexing
Arm extending, arm flapping, arm rotating, arm touching, arm flailing,
arm flexing, arm jerking, arm squeezing
Banging things, banging parts of the body against something else
Bending at the waist, bending at the knees, bending
Bite mouth, bite arm
Biting self or biting others, biting nails
Bladder tics
Blinking eyes
Blocking, Freezing (on movement)
Body jerking, body slamming
Bowel tics
Brushing hair out of eyes
Bulging eyes
Chewing clothes, chewing fingers, chewing fingernails, chewing toes, chewing things
Chin touching
Clapping
Clicking teeth
Clothes pulling, clothes tearing, clothes chewing
Copropraxia
Cracking knuckles, cracking jaw
Crotch adjusting
Cuticle picking, cuticle chewing
Dragging feet
Echopraxia
Elbow ??? touching together behind back
Extending arms, extending neck
Eye blinking, eye rolling, eyes toward ceiling, eyes bulging, eye squinting, winking
Facial grimaces, facial contortions, facial grimacing
Finger smelling, finger pulling, finger snapping, finger movements
Flapping arms
Flexing ankles, flexing wrists, flexing arms, flexing knees, flexing toes
Foot dragging, foot flexing, foot tapping, foot shaking
Glutial tensing
Grimacing ??? mouth, facial
Groin thrusting
Gyrating
Hair brushing out of eyes, hair tossing, hair twisting, hair pulling
Hand fiddling, hand flexing, hand snapping
Head toss, head jerk, head turn, head shaking, head banging
Hitting self or hitting others
Hopping
Jabbing
Jaw snapping, jaw thrusting, jaw cracking
Jerking head, jerking neck, jerking body
Jumping
Kicking
Kissing
Knee bending, deep knee bends, knee knocking, knee extending
Knocking things, knocking body parts
Knuckle cracking
Leg tensing, leg jerking, leg extending
Licking lips
Lifting shoulders
Lip-licking, lip popping, lip smacking, lip pouting
Mouth opening, mouth pouting, mouth grimacing
Nail biting
Neck twisting, neck extending, neck pulling, neck stretching
Nose twitching, nose touching
Opening mouth, opening eyes
Palm touching
Picking skin, picking scabs, picking at lint, picking lips, picking cuticles
Pinching
Poking
Popping lips
Pouting mouth
Pulling clothes, pulling fingers, pulling hair
Punching
Rolling eyes, rolling shoulders
Scratching
Shaking head, shaking feet, shaking arms, shaking legs, shaking hands
Shivering
Shoulder shrugs, shoulder lifts, shoulder rolls
Shrugging shoulders
Skin picking
Skipping
Smacking lips
Smelling fingers, smelling objects, smelling hands
Snapping fingers, snapping jaw
Somersaulting
Squatting
Squinting eyes
Stepping Backwards
Stomping
Stooping
Stretching neck
Tearing clothes, tearing things
Tensing abdominals, tensing gluts, tensing legs, tensing muscle groups
Throwing
Thrusting movements, thrusting tongue, thrusting jaw
Toe walking, toe flexing, toe scrunching
Tooth clicking
Tongue thrusting
Torso thrusting, torso twisting
Tossing hair out of eyes, tossing head
Touching elbows behind back, touching palms, touching chin,
touching nose, touching people, touching objects (haphemania)
Turning head
Twirling, Twirling around, Twirling hair
Twisting neck, twisting torso
Walking on toes, walking backwards
Wedgie adjustment
Winking
VOCAL TICS, PHONIC TICS, or VERBAL TICS
Air swallowing
Animal sounds, animal noises, animal-like sounds
(dog, cow, cat, pig, duck, frog,
barking, chirping, quacking, meowing, oinking, braying)
Barking
Belching
Blocking tic (unable to get sound out)
Blowing on fingers, self, objects, others
Blowing sounds
Braying
Breath holding
Breathing tics
Burping
Calling out
Chirping
Clacking
Clearing throat
Clicking
Coprolalia – speaking obscenities or socially taboo or inappropriate phrases
Coughing
Echolalia – repeating other’s words
Gasping
Groaning
Grunting
Gurgling
Guttural sounds from back of throat
Hiccups, hiccupping
Hissing
Holding breath
Honking
Humming
Laughing
Making unintelligible noises
Meowing
Moaning
Muttering
Noisy breathing
Oinking
Palilalia – repeating one’s own words
Puffing expirations
Quacking
Repeating phrases, repeating words, repeating parts of words
Screaming
Shouting
Sniffing
Sniffling
Snorting
Spitting
Squeaking
Squealing
Stammering
Stuttering
Sucking inspirations
Swallowing air
Talking to oneself
Throat clearing, throat clicking, guttural sounds in back of throat
Voice ??? change in pitch, change in volume, change in intonation
Wheezing
Whistling
Yelling
Yelping
5 responses to “List of Oral and Motor Tics”
Doni,
I have to share this since we taked about school and socializing etc.
Well, I sat through the football meeting last night and registration tonight. Nathanial was sitting next to me for the football meeting. Over the years teachers have told me that they don’t really see the bad tics in class because Nathanial must be supressing them (or saving them for me at home…) Last night the head football coach kept looking over during his presentation. I couldn’t figure out why but I am used to people looking. I happened to look over at Nathanial and saw that he was having some particularly noticable tics of his head, neck and shoulders (these are the ones he has had most of his life but during his teen years they are more prominent and the noises, blinking, sniffing, etc have stopped) Anyway, I looked at the coach and realized that the look on his face was the realization of how bad the tics could be…wow! It was one of those “he finally gets it” moments.
Then tonight standing in line, every boy that walked by said hi to Nathanial…the football team, coaches, and now even the teachers and principal have given him the nickname TANS. It is printed and written on shirts, in the yearbook and everyone calls him that. Anyway, we stood there a bit longer and a group of girls walked by and one of them stopped to say “Hi TANS” she giggled and they walked away. After some ribbing from his friends, I caught his eye…he just looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said “I guess it pays to be nice to girls too huh mom…” Oh Doni, I am telling you I am not ready for this….! (just kidding) When we got to the line for making sure his classes were ok, he looked at me and said “I got this mom” and walked up to the table and negotiated his study halls with the teacher that helps him and asked who would be in the study hall etc. (this is the Student Excellence in Education Center I told you about) she told him and he responded “good I think I can get things done with that group.” I am very glad I kept him in the school I did and very happy I sent him to Shoreland for high school!
Now there are about 60 guys on the football team, they have all accepted Nathanial tics and all. Now I have found out that 2 yrs ago, his older (protector) brother Arie had asked the upper classmen to watch out for his younger brother because he didn’t want anyone taking advantage of him or making fun of him since Arie was graduating. There have been other times when Arie and Graham have swept in to defend. Tanner will too. Hang in there hun. No matter what your decision about school please remember that God is leading that thought process as well! You will do what is right for Ty and what is right for your family.
Having said that, it is a very good idea to get him out there with other kids so he learns to cope as well as supress and as Nathanial has found out…I have always been open and honest with Nathanial about his Tourettes since he was 5. He has read things on his own and now written the research paper about his experience as well as what he has learned. It helps him to deal with the stares and comments. I have also told him from little on that when people stare or make comments he should say “this is the way God made me and if you can’t get used to it I am sorry for you” He has been able to say this to people and feels good about it. It is very true, anyone who can’t get past the tics is really missing out on getting to know a wonderful person! We both know that our boys are wonderful, other people need to know that too 🙂
Love you! May God send his angels to watch over you …legions of necessary
Cathy
Cathy, I don’t know you…but I love you 🙂 What precious words of encouragement from someone who has “walked the walk.” I remember the long ago post and remember crying with you when reading about your precious sons and their bedtime devotions. Isn’t God good? Even through the hurt and questions and lonliness – God is always there and always loving on us and having our BEST in mind. Thank you from an Aunt who loves her family dearly and loves those who love them 😉
“Aunt Beck”
Hi Doni,
My son was diagnosed with Tourette’s when he was 7 and has tics. He had 3 motor tics and one verbal tic, which thankfully was the mildest. They were reduced and have almost completley gone away with the medication Clonidine at very low doses.. If you ever want to chat about it, send me an email.
Hi I often search tics and came across your site. I have been on the site you mentioned and read the list before. I have 3 boys but my oldest who is 7 has had different tics since he was 5- I try and keep track on them so I know if it is anxiety related or a tic disorder. It seems they are worse or more frequent during the school year or new situations.
At 5 my son did eye blinking, shoulder shrugging and sniffing. Probably a few others. Then at 6 he started sniffing his hands sometimes 20 times in a few minutes, sometimes he sniffs things but usually his hands. And now he has started the sniffing again and making breathing sounds (sucking in air)- many times in a row.
Anyways, his kindergarten teacher noticed but his teacher last year did not. The other kids have never commented on this yet. I am not sure if there is any reason to see a specialist or not. Currently it is not causing him much distress to this point but he is only starting 2nd grade- does anyone have any insight or ideas for the best way to handle this. I do not make a big deal about his tics I just mentally note them and write down new things I see every week or two.
my granddaughter since i can remember cluches or squeezes her hands and puts them to her face and makes facial grimaces and contortions and rolls her eyes either up or to the side. (the rolling of the eyes didnt come on until 1st grade) when she was very young she would line up her horses or diniasors and stand back squeeze her hands together put them on the side of her cheek tilt her head and look at what she just put together. like admiring what she just did. sometimes she would go over and adjust a few and then repeat the behavior. i use to think this is how she expresses herself. she would also do this when she was excited or really happy about something she also loves to draw and she would do the same thing when she finished a picture. i never saw it as a problem. but as she got older people would say why does she do that i would just say that is how she expresses herself. now it seems that she does this behavior with a little more intensity like i explained in the first sentence, i was wondering do you have any feedback on this or any idea if this is a problem. if so that would be great i could pass it on to her mom cuz i think she is starting to get worried about it getting a little worse as she gets older. teachers have never said anything to my daughter about it but my daughter feels it is getting worse and some children in school have said things to her. i told her mother to speak to the teacher and ask what they think but she figured if it was a problem the teachers would have already said something to her. she is now in 2nd grade. in the past her stepmother has told her to stop doing the behavior cuz people will think there is something wrong with her (i felt she should not have said that to her but it is not my place) my daughter did speak to her father and stepmother about what she said not sure what came out of it. Naomis mom and stepdad pretty much ignore it unless she is doing it to much. she seems to do it more now if she is bored like riding in a car or waiting on somebody like her little sister and brother. she doesnt do this while watching tv or being on a computer and her mom explained to her she needs to pay attention in school so try not to do it if it is going to interfere with her learning in school. So if you have any info that could help us understand why she does this that would be great. i dont have a computer but when i visit my daughter like right now i do go on the computer. so i will be back next thur so maybe you will have written back by then and i will be able to share this info with my daughter and son in law
thank you for listening.
Maureen