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FairyNormal - Isaac has now graduated, congratulations - From now onwards, many of his vocal tics will sound strange/bizarre but sometimes there'll be some true gems. The Aspergers (being not afraid to tell things as they are) along with vocal tics may just get him into bother at times - believe me, I know from 1st hand experience. As long as you are aware of this, you will be able to cope when it happens.

Chris, Before I answer that question, firstly I must point out that more often than not, people's tics get worse during puberty, and lessen (although not dissapear) in adulthood. My answer to the question is not the standard one - in my case my tics have never been as prominent as they are now. I think the reason for this is that I am now TS aware (I was not a couple of years ago), and, quite frankly, I don't give a hoot if others are upset about my tics. I do, though, get embarrassed about some of the more vocal outbursts especially when they contain the rude words that, unfortunately, Tourettes has, incorrectly, become associated with.

Sounds like Tourette's. If so, there are likely to be other Neurological diversities, including OCD, and one or more of Dyslexia/Dyspraxia/Dyscalculia I would strongly suggest getting a diagnosis, just for the key reason, that you will know what you are dealing with. I was not diagnosed with Tourettes until last year, (aged 46) and I never really understood why I was so different at school, and so eccentric at Uni. Mark

I posted this on a Tourette forum, when a member asked what Dyspraxia was, I thought some examples might help... Where others (i.e. non Dyspraxic) folk automatically coordinate themselves properly - i.e. washing dishes, writing, picking up objects, walking in the street - we (the Dyspraxic) sometimes have problems, where the signals coming from our brain get a little mangled on route. This results in us doing things that appear "clumsy". For instance: * Washing up - Intending to put a glass on the draining rack, I will miss and the glass somehow falls on the floor and shatters * Writing - there is no control over handwriting, and what gets produced is illegible. Although I can sit and try to write neatly, I always fail * Picking up objects - they often jump right out of my hand onto the floor(or if it is a glass of wine, the contents spill into the lap of the person sitting next to me) * Walking in the street - will fall over, or bump into things/people. Where others take it for granted that their feet will take them where they intend, we cannot do this. Sometimes we will end up off the pavement, or twist our ankles for no apparent reason. If I try to "force" myself to get it right, I can get really confused, and my brain is not able to function. It is similar to Dyslexia, where the messages between the eyes and the brain get garbled - for us it is any message to/from the brain that is a target for our Dyspraxia. When I played football (I was a goalie, and for some reason quite a good one), I used to end up in hospital at least once a year (broken arm/nose/ankles). A word of warning, at the dinner table, sit opposite the person with Dyspraxia, and not next to him/her... Otherwise there is a high chance of getting a wet lap.

Sam, I don't have any experience with this, but I did a "google" and came up with this site. Might be on interest. http://www.ican.org.uk/TalkingPoint/Themes...%20Profile.aspx mark

Hi Fairynormal (Sam) Glad to see you have found us. I am sure you'll get a lot of support from this forum. Welcome Mark xx

Not sure if this is relevant, but I am an adult aspie with Sleep Apnoea. For those needing more info about Sleep Apnoea please try www.scottishsleepapnoea.co.uk this is the website of a support group for people with the condition. I can provide further details, if you PM me. mark

The subject of Ian and possible Tourettes has been discussed on a Tourette Syndrome forum (www.tourettefriends.org.uk). The consensus is that the evidence is so strong, that we feel he has Tourettes.

It is not unheard of for a specialist to offer a mis-diagnosis, and I would suggest you push for a second opinion if it is important to you to be diagnosed.

I could not help laughing at the church where the lad repetitively shouted a certain word, and, of course, where he put his uncle right at the dinner table. Now, to me, these episodes of swearing could suggest that the child has Tourette's Syndrome (not that everyone with TS swears) - or is it common for kids with autism to swear both in and out of context?

I think it is just to get our suspicions confirmed. I want the official label, I am not yet "officially" diagnosed with AS, although I am "in discussions" with my neurologist. His views are that a diagnosis is a label, and the fact that I have aspie traits are just some of those characteristics that go towards defining who I am - quite true, I guess. But, I would like the diagnosis, just so that I can have some form of "official" explanation of why I appear(?) to be arrogant and rude at times.

Haha - At least you are aware that this sort of thing might happen and do not get offended by it. The amount of times I have had to stop myself from saying something similar... At least I now have an explanation as to why I act in this way...

Now, this might not be what you want to hear, but... 1. The licking thing, could be indicative of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or , perhaps, if it is a tic, as we would call it, i.e. something that has to be done, then this may suggest Tourette Syndrome (TS). If it is TS, then saying dont do it, or could you do it in your head, will not work (trust me, I have TS). 2. The growling thing could be many things, one of which, again, is TS, and my suggestion is that you check this out with the neurologist/specialist. There is no "cure" for TS, but there are treatments that can help. Now I know that my post might not be what you expected, or anywhere close to what you expected, but you have to forgive me here, but there is a strong correlation between what you describe and what many of the parents of kids with TS mention. I mean only to help, and if I appear to be anything other than helpful, then please forgive me (I am an Aspie, after all ) . I can, with the mods permission???. provide details of a forum where many parents of children with TS air their views (there are some members of this forum who are also members of the TS forum).

I suggest that you should first discuss this with your Doctor/GP. They will then decide if you should be referred on (maybe to a Neurologist).

I often can not find the right word, and another, possibly unrelated word, gets used instead. I "know" the correct word, but at that particular time and place I just can not recall it. I can't remember an exact example, but for instance I will say "we're having mangoes with dinner" when I meant to say "we're having carrots with dinner". This happens to me often, at least once per day. mark