# When should I worry about Tourette Syndrome in a 12–18-month-old?

Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/when-should-i-worry-that-my-12-to-18-month-old-might-have-tourette-syndrome
Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited

Tourette Syndrome cannot be meaningfully identified at 12–18 months — it is recognised only when motor and vocal tics persist beyond a year, typically from age 4–8. Toddlers' repetitive blinks, sounds and movements are almost always normal exploration, not tics. The right step now is a warm general developmental check, and only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form.

*If your toddler blinks hard, scrunches their nose or makes a sudden little sound, it's natural to wonder about Tourette Syndrome — and the honest, reassuring answer is that this age is far too early for that worry.*

## In short
At 12 to 18 months, [Tourette Syndrome](https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/tourette-syndrome) is not something that can be meaningfully identified — and it would be unusual and not clinically appropriate to think about it now. Tourette Syndrome (ICD-11 8A05.00) involves both motor and vocal tics that persist for over a year, and by definition it is only recognised when tics begin in childhood, most commonly between about **4 and 8 years** of age. Toddlers make many sudden, repetitive movements as part of normal development — these are almost never tics. So the kind answer is: there is nothing to worry about regarding Tourette's at this age.

## What's actually normal at this age
Between 12 and 18 months, lots of busy, repetitive little behaviours are simply how toddlers explore their bodies and the world:

- **Blinking, nose-scrunching or face-pulling** — often experimenting with how their face moves
- **Repeating sounds, squeals or babble** — practising for speech
- **Hand-flapping, head-shaking or rocking when excited or tired** — common self-regulation
- **Brief repeated movements** that come and go and fade within weeks

These are typical and usually pass. Tics, by contrast, are a later-childhood pattern, and a single diagnosis is never made from one behaviour or at this young age.

## What is worth a gentle check (and it isn't Tourette's)
Rather than watching for tics, this is the age to keep an eye on the everyday milestones — and to mention anything to your paediatrician if you notice it:

- Not responding to their name or to familiar voices
- No babbling, pointing or gesturing by around 12 months
- Loss of skills they once had
- Little eye contact or shared smiling
- Staring spells with unresponsiveness, or unusual stiffening or jerking that seems out of their control — these warrant **prompt medical review** to rule out other causes, not therapy first

## The Pinnacle way
A clinical [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an online form or a checklist. For a toddler this age, the right step is a warm, general [developmental check](/developmental-screening) that looks at communication, movement and play as a whole — not a search for a label that doesn't belong to these years. If anything ever feels genuinely out of the ordinary, our clinicians will listen and guide you calmly.

## Trusted sources
WHO ICD-11 (8A05.00, Tourette Syndrome); American Academy of Pediatrics developmental milestones guidance (healthychildren.org); CDC milestone tracking for the second year (cdc.gov).

**Next step —** If you'd simply like reassurance about how your little one is growing, [book a developmental check](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/enroll-autism-speech-aba-therapies-india) with a Pinnacle clinician.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

## Sources
- WHO ICD-11: Tourette Syndrome: https://icd.who.int/
- AAP HealthyChildren: developmental milestones: https://www.healthychildren.org/
- CDC: milestones in the second year: https://www.cdc.gov/

## Connected topics and perspectives
- Conditions: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/conditions
- Parent: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/parent
- Toddler-12-18: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/age/toddler-12-18
- Motor: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/domain/motor
- Concern: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/concern
- Screen: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/screen
- Special Education: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/special-education
- Early Clarity: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/early_clarity

## Related question paths

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- How Tourette Syndrome Affects a Child's Daily Life: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-does-tourette-syndrome-affect-a-child-s-daily-life
- Is Tourette Syndrome Considered a Disability?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/is-tourette-syndrome-considered-a-disability
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- Early Signs of Tourette Syndrome in a 12-to-18-Month-Old: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-are-the-early-signs-of-tourette-syndrome-in-a-12-to-18-month-old
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- Can Tourette Syndrome be cured?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/can-tourette-syndrome-be-cured
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### Explore causes & influences
- Are boys more likely to have Tourette Syndrome?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/are-boys-more-likely-to-have-tourette-syndrome
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### Understand assessment
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- Assessing Tourette Syndrome in a Young Child: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-is-tourette-syndrome-assessed-in-a-young-child
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- What does an AbilityScore of 200–300 mean for a child with Tourette Syndrome?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-does-an-abilityscore-of-200-300-mean-for-a-child-with-tourette-syndrome
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- What an AbilityScore of 800-900 Means for a Child with Tourette Syndrome: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-does-an-abilityscore-of-800-900-mean-for-a-child-with-tourette-syndrome

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- How Tourette Syndrome Is Supported Through Therapy: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-is-tourette-syndrome-supported-through-therapy
- AbilityScore® 0–100 with Tourette Syndrome: what to do next: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-with-tourette-syndrome-has-an-abilityscore-of-0-100-what-should-we-do-next
- Tourette Syndrome: AbilityScore 100–200 — what should we do next?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-with-tourette-syndrome-has-an-abilityscore-of-100-200-what-should-we-do-next
- AbilityScore 200–300 with Tourette Syndrome: next steps: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-with-tourette-syndrome-has-an-abilityscore-of-200-300-what-should-we-do-next
- Tourette Syndrome AbilityScore 300–400: Next Steps: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-with-tourette-syndrome-has-an-abilityscore-of-300-400-what-should-we-do-next
- AbilityScore 400–500 with Tourette Syndrome: what to do next: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-with-tourette-syndrome-has-an-abilityscore-of-400-500-what-should-we-do-next
- Tourette Syndrome: AbilityScore 500–600 — what to do next: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-with-tourette-syndrome-has-an-abilityscore-of-500-600-what-should-we-do-next

### At home & in everyday life
- How can I support my child with Tourette Syndrome at home?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-support-my-child-with-tourette-syndrome-at-home