Children who suffer from Tic disorders, ADHD, OCD, or Sensory processing are more likely to have another diagnosis. Tic disorders and other related diagnoses often go hand in hand with each other. A co-diagnosis is when a child has two different diagnoses that go together. Tics may be the most noticeable of these conditions, but they typically accompany one of these three: ADHD, OCD, or sensory processing disorder. We are going to explore tic disorders and how they relate to other mental health issues such as ADHD, OCD, SPD, and even autism spectrum disorders.

Tics may be observed in children diagnosed with ADHD. For example, a child with Tourette Syndrome (TS) accompanied by attention deficits will meet the diagnostic criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Tic disorder is also comorbid with other impulse control or disruptive behavior disorders such as Conduct Disorder and Oppositional defiant disorder that are often seen alongside a diagnosis of ADHD. In addition, tics can occur alone or co-occur with another neurodevelopmental issue like autism spectrum disorder. Children suffering from tic disorders usually have more than one motor or vocal tic, and they may also struggle with moods swings and focus issues.

If your child has more than one diagnosis, I am sure you wonder how they are all connected? For example, tic disorders, ADHD, SPD, OCD, and ASD, can be connected through similar brain mechanisms.