A defining criterion of Tourette is symptoms- involuntary tics-that start between age 2 and age 15. Anyone who has Tourette first got it as a child, probably during school, when peers can be ruthless to anyone out of the mainstream. Recent studies show that the greatest frequency and severity of tics occurs for most children around middle school. It's a terrible time to be twitching and barking.

Yet the roughly 1 percent of students who have Tourette syndrome are, aside from their tics, no different than other students. The condition has no impact on intelligence or athletic ability. Even tics themselves are not unique; some 20 to 25 percent of children develop a physical tic or tics during their school years that, in most cases, go away. When the symptoms last more than a year, and audible tics join the physical ones, it's probably Tourette syndrome-TS to the cognoscenti.

Our Children's Brains Part VI: Tourette Syndrome

By E.H. Santiago in the Long Island Press. Used by permission.

Tourette syndrome is probably the comedy world's all- time favorite affliction, because while obscenity is always funny, involuntary obscenity is hilarious.

The world's first known case, first described back in 1825, involved a fancy and influential French noblewoman, the Marquise de Dampierre, who lived in horror of her own eruptions into vulgar blasphemy among high society. Comedy gold. Right?

Except that Tourette is no joke to the kids who have it.That's right: kids. A defining criterion of Tourette is symptoms-involuntary tics-that start between age 2 and age 15. Anyone who has Tourette first got it as a child, probably during school, when peers can be ruthless to anyone out of the mainstream. Recent studies show that the greatest frequency and severity of tics occurs for most children around middle school. It's a terrible time to be twitching and barking.

This full article can be found at: http://www.newideas.net/tourettes-syndrome-no- laughing-matter

Let's begin by pointing out that we have recently written about ADHD and Depression in Teenage Girls, and have even produced a brief internet video on the topic. As reported in that article, females with ADHD tend to have the "inattentive" type of ADHD (what we refer to as Winnie the Pooh type), where males tend to have the "impulsive-hyperactive" type or a "combined type" of ADHD (what we refer to as Tigger type ADHD).

As a result, males tend to have more behavioral problems that go along with their ADHD, which leads to referrals from the classroom teacher to a physician where he can receive a diagnosis and treatment. Their female counterparts, however, tend to be inattentive in the classroom, without the behavioral problems, and as less likely to get a referral which might lead to a diagnosis and treatment.

As children mature into adolescence, the human brain matures. But the interesting thing about the brain is that the brain tends to mature from the back of the brain to the front of the brain, and the frontal lobes and pre-frontal cortex mature last. These brain areas are most associated with the "executive functions" of the brain, and their delays in maturity are associated with "inattentive ADHD."

Since the female brain tends to achieve its full growth and maturity in the early 20's, we see many females who had been diagnosed with inattentive ADHD seemingly "outgrow" it in young adulthood.

This full article can be found at: http://newideas.net/adhd-adult-women-symptoms

Just Like Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD. Although Pooh is very lovable, loyal, and kind, he is also inattentive, sluggish, slow-moving, unmotivated. He is a classic daydreamer with brain fog.

In other works we have called this "Space Cadet" style ADHD.

People with this type of ADHD are:

• Easily distracted
• Have short attention spans to a task that is not interesting, or is hard
• Daydreaming when others are talking to him/her
• Always looking for things that they have just put down somewhere...
• Always late
• Easily bored

Inattentive ADHD Explained

Normally in the brain the prefrontal cortex will speed up activity when there is work to concentrate on. But with this type of inattentive ADHD the prefrontal cortex actually slows down when placed under a work load, like reading or doing homework.

This entire article can be found at: http://www.newideas.net/adhd/different-types- adhd/inattentive-type