A Parent’s Guide to Tics and Tourette’s Disorder

A comprehensive guide to understanding and navigating children’s tics and Tourette’s disorder.

In this accessible guide, Nigel S. Bamford, MD, provides an essential and comprehensive resource for understanding and managing tic disorders, including Tourette’s disorder. This book offers parents, caregivers, and health care providers the knowledge and tools to effectively support children with these neurological conditions.

In careful and easy-to-follow detail, Dr. Bamford covers what parents should know:

- The potential causes and underlying factors that contribute to tic development
- The relationship among tics, habits, and brain mechanisms
- Diagnostic criteria
- Associated psychological conditions and co-occurring disorders--anxiety, OCD, and ADHD--that can impact the frequency and severity of tics
- Treatment options, including therapeutic approaches, medication management, and alternative treatments
- Common challenges faced by families, such as accessing health care, managing academic performance, handling social situations, and promoting physical activity

This comprehensive, empathetic overview equips parents with strategies to navigate the health care system, advocate for their children, and better understand their children’s conditions. Dr. Bamford’s focus on individualized interventions, the importance of communication, and ongoing research efforts will help improve the quality of life for children with a tic disorder.

Nigel S. Bamford, MD, is the director of the Pediatric Movement Disorders Program at Yale University.