At a glance
- We do not know exactly how many children have Tourette syndrome (TS).
- Studies estimate that 1 out of 162 children have TS.
- Many children diagnosed with TS also have been diagnosed with other mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders.
- TS and persistent tic disorders (TS/PTD) can impact many areas of life.
How many children have TS?
We do not know exactly how many children have Tourette syndrome (TS).
- Studies that included children with diagnosed and undiagnosed TS have estimated that 1 out of every 162 children (0.6%) have TS.1
- A CDC study using parent-reported data found that 1 out of every 333 (0.3%) children 3-17 years of age in the United States have received a diagnosis of TS; this is about 174,000 children in 2016–2019.2
- This suggests that about half of children with TS may not be diagnosed.
CDC's data on TS and persistent tic disorders (TS/PTD)
TS/PTD may affect
- About 1.4 million people in the U.S.
- About 1 in 50 children aged 5-14 years
Estimating the number of people affected by TS/PTD is challenging and more information is needed.
Among children diagnosed with TS in 2016—2017,3
- 44% have been reported as having moderate or severe TS.
- Boys were about three times more likely to have TS than girls.
- Children from all racial and ethnic groups or socio-economic backgrounds had similar estimates for diagnosis of TS.
- Children 12-17 years of age were more than twice as likely to have a diagnosis of TS than children 6-11 years of age.
Read more about the and 2016–2019 data MMWR.
How many children with TS have another disorder?
TS data on US children aged 6-17 years – National Survey of Children’s Health, 2016—2017:3
More facts
Impact of TS/PTD on daily living
Having TS/PTD can have an impact on many areas of life, particularly when children have another condition in addition to TS/PTD. Based on CDC studies, the following are examples of the impact of TS/PTD:
Compared to those without TS, children with TS were more likely to5
- have an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- have a parent contacted about school problems
- not complete their homework
Once the presence of other disorders was taken into account, children with TS were still more likely to have an IEP compared to children without TS.
Compared to children without tic disorders, those with tic disorders more often had6
- chronic pain and each specific type of pain assessed (e.g., back, neck, limb, arthritis) for each group examined (by age, sex, type of insurance)
Compared to those without TS/PTD, children with TS/PTD may7
- use more specialty health care, including mental health services
- be more likely to use medications
- have more unmet mental health care needs
- be less likely to receive care coordination or to have a
Compared to children without TS, children with TS were more likely to have parents with high levels of stress and frustration.8
Once the presence of other disorders was taken into account, parents of children with TS were still more likely to have high levels of stress and frustration.
Compared to children without TS, children with TS were more likely to struggle with9
- Social competence;
- Higher levels of behavioral problems; and
- Lower levels of social skills.
This is particularly true when children have moderate-to-severe TS and when they are diagnosed with other mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders.
Compared to children without TS, children with TS were2
- More likely to be the victim of bullying;
- More likely to be the perpetrator of bullying; and
- More likely to be both a victim and a perpetrator.
Bullying is most common among peers, but children with TS also experience being treated differently by teachers and other adults.10
Life course of TS
Childhood
TS is a disorder that develops in childhood and changes over time. A survey of parents of children with TS found that:11
- Parents first noticed tics at about 6 years of age on average.
- The time to diagnosis after initially noticing tics was about 2 years.
- TS was most severe at 9 years of age on average.
- Most parents reported that their child's tics were noticeable to strangers.
- Most parents reported that major changes, like starting a new school, moving into a new class, or being tired, made their child's tics worse.
- About half of the parents reported that exercise or quiet hobbies made tics better.
Adolescence and early adulthood
In most cases, tics decrease during adolescence and early adulthood, and sometimes disappear entirely; however, many experience tics into adulthood and, in some cases, tics can become worse in adulthood.312
- A study that followed youth with TS over time found that at 18 years of age, almost half of the youth had been tic-free the week before they were interviewed, about 1 in 10 had minimal tics, almost 3 in 10 had mild symptoms, and just over 1 in 10 had moderate-to-severe tics.3
- Knight T, Steeves T, Day L, Lowerison M, Jette N, Pringsheim T. Pediatr Neurol. 2012;47(2)(Pediatr Neurol):77–90.
- Bitsko RH, Claussen AH, Lichstein J, et al. MMWR Suppl. 2022;71(2):1-48.
- Charania SN, Danielson ML, Claussen AH, Lebrun-Harris LA, Kaminski JW, Bitsko RH. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2022;43(1):23-31.
- Eapen V and Crncec R. J Psychosom Res. 2009;67(6):525–32.
- Claussen AH, Bitsko RH, Holbrook JR, Bloomfield J, Giordano K. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2018;39(4):335–342.
- Ogunsola HY, Bohm MK, Newsome K, Jimenez-Shahed J, Bitsko RH. Mov Disord Clin Pract. Published online June 9, 2025.
- Bitsko RH, Hutchins HJ, Whalen PL, et al. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2025;48(1):181-201.
- Bitsko RH, Danielson M, King M, Visser SN, Scahill L, Perou R. J Child Neurol. 2013;28(12):1626–36.
- Robinson LR, Bitsko RH, Schieve LA, Visser SN. Disabil Health J. 2013;6(1):26–35.
- Bitsko RH, Danielson ML, Leeb RT, et al. J Child Neurol. 2020;35(9):612-620.
- Ricketts EJ, Wolicki SB, Danielson ML, et al. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2022;53(1):3-15.
- Wolicki SB, Danielson ML, Bitsko RH, et al. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2019;40(6):407-414.
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Medical Home. Available at: Accessed on March 11, 2025.