3. The Diagnosis - What criterion are needed to diagnose Tourette's Syndrome?

A diagnosis of TS can only be given once a person exhibits; both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics. These need not be simultaneously occurring, but must span a period of more than one year. The tics may occur many times a day although they may periodically change in the number, frequency, type and location and wax and wane in their severity.

It is very difficult to characterize the symptoms of Tourette's Syndrome. However, it is much easier for a trained physician to identify an individual suffering from the disease by examination. Assessment is done by analyzing the tics of an individual over a short period of time.