The NHS says:
‘They usually appear in childhood between the ages of 2 and 14‘ (1)
Cedars Sinai states that tics:
‘Usually occur in children between the ages of 7 and 10, but can begin as early as 2 years or as late as 18‘ (2)
Mayo Clinic mentions that tics:
‘Typically show up between ages 2 and 15, with the average being around 6 years of age’ (3)
Anywhere between 2- 18 years of age
There isn’t a definitive answer to this question. Tics tend to develop in most people between the ages of 2 and 18.
If tics begin to occur after the age of 18, medical professionals don’t consider it Tourette syndrome. (2)
This is a grey area. Many people claim to have developed Tourette syndrome in adulthood, showing no symptoms in childhood or adolescence.
Some of these cases came during what was known as a ‘tic explosion‘ during the pandemic and increased social media consumption.
Difficulty acknowledging tics in babies and toddlers
If tics and a premonitory urge are experienced by babies and toddlers, it would be very difficult to prove without technology.
Babies and toddlers cannot give us a detailed account of their experience. It can be hard enough for adults to describe the sensation leading up to a tic.
Babies often move in seemingly random ways during development. Toddlers too. With this, motor tics wouldn’t really stand out. During these phases, sounds are muttered before words are spoken, making vocal tics indistinguishable from anything else.
Can Tourette develop after 18 years?
Tourettes Action published an ‘ask the experts’ section on their website, with the question ‘Can TS start in adulthood?‘
This is an interesting question and often comes up. The rule of onset before 18 years is not hard and fast. DSM5 has the strictest definition and stipulates onset before 18 years for any primary tic disorder. ICD11 however stipulates ‘onset during the developmental period’ without and exact age and then only for Tourette’s syndrome, not for other primary tic disorders.
The full answer to this question can be read in the article (4).