Checklist of Tic Symptoms (Motor)
1 = not intense/obvious 5 = profound level of intensity/obviousness
Tourette Syndrome is a neurological or “neurochemical” disorder characterized by tics – involuntary, rapid, sudden
movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly at irregular intervals.
Simple Motor Tics: sudden, meaningless Observed in the Present in the Intensity/ Disruptive/
past year past week Obviousness Impairing
movements of individual muscle groups. (1 – 5) (1 – 5)
Eye blinking
Facial grimacing
Nose twitching
Lip pouting
Shoulder shrugging
Arm/head jerking
Abdominal tensing
Kicking
Finger movements
Jaw snapping
Teeth clicking
Frowning
Knuckle cracking
Tensing parts of the body
Rapid jerking of any part of the body
Other:
Complex Motor Tics: a group of movements Intensity/ Disruptive/
Observed in the Present in the
using more than one muscle group which may Obviousness Impairing
appear purposeful. past year past week
(1 – 5) (1 – 5)
Hopping
Touching objects (or others or self)
Throwing
Twirling
Bending
Dystonic postures
Biting the mouth, lip or arm
Head banging
Writhing movements
Rolling eyes upwards or side-to-side
Making funny facial expressions
Kissing
Pinching
Pulling back on a pencil while writing
Tearing paper or books
Copropaxia: making obscene gestures such as
giving “the finger”
Echopraxia: imitating gestures or movements
of other people
Other:
©2005 Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada
Checklist of Tic Symptoms (Vocal or Phonic)
1 = not intense/obvious 5 = profound level of intensity/obviousness
Tourette Syndrome is a neurological or “neurochemical” disorder characterized by tics – involuntary,
rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly at irregular intervals.
Intensity/ Disruptive/
Simple Vocal (or Phonic) Tics: Observed in the Present in the
Obviousness Impairing
meaningless sounds past year past week (1 – 5) (1 – 5)
Throat clearing
Coughing
Spitting
Screeching
Barking
Grunting
Gurgling
Clacking
Whistling
Hissing
Sucking sounds
Syllable sounds such as “uh, uh,” “eee,” and
“bu”
Other:
Intensity/ Disruptive/
Complex Vocal Tics: Observed in the Present in the
Obviousness Impairing
which may appear purposeful. past year past week
(1 – 5) (1 – 5)
Phrases such as “Oh boy,” “Shut up,” “You
know,” “You’re fat,” “All right,” “What’s
that?”
Complex respiratory patterns
Speech atypicalities such as speaking in
unusual rhythms, tones, loudness, rapidity
Stuttering
Coprolalia: obscene, aggressive or otherwise
socially unacceptable words or phrases
Palilalia: repeating one’s own words or parts
of words
Echolalia: repeating sounds, words or parts of
words of others
Other:
©2005 Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada
