Autism and ADHD traits linked to different tic patterns in British survey

Tics are sudden movements or sounds that a person may find difficult to control. They can be motor tics, such as movements, or vocal tics, such as sounds.

Researchers used data from 473 children and teenagers ages 5 to 16 who had motor and/or vocal tics. The data came from the 2004 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey. The team used statistical analyses to examine whether autism traits and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, traits were linked with particular tic features.

They looked at whether young people had motor or vocal tics, the age tics began, whether tics happened at night, and whether participants could regulate or control tic expression. They also examined tic frequency during restful or low-arousal times and whether tics worsened after a period of suppression, meaning trying to hold tics back.

Autism traits were associated with an earlier reported onset of tics. On average, tics began about 2.43 years earlier among those with autism traits, according to the analysis.

ADHD traits were associated with a higher likelihood of rebound tics after suppression. The reported odds of tics worsening after trying to suppress them were 2.64 times higher for young people with ADHD traits.

The researchers did not find specific links between autism or ADHD traits and several other tic features. These included whether tics were motor or vocal, whether they occurred at night, how much control a young person had over tic expression, and tic frequency during restful or low-arousal states.

The results describe patterns within this group of young people, rather than proving cause and effect. Because the supplied abstract does not detail how traits and tic experiences were measured, which factors were adjusted for, or the precision of the estimates, it cannot show how certain or broadly applicable these links are.

The study also does not establish whether the findings apply to children outside this British survey or to people without tics. Further research would need to test these patterns in other groups and clarify how they may change over time.