The Movement Disorder and Tourette’s Syndrome Center at Le Bonheur’s Neuroscience Institute treats a variety of common movement disorders seen in children, including tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Our multidisciplinary approach addresses all aspects of movement disorders from diagnosis to psychiatric services to rehabilitation needs and is the only multi-specialty, comprehensive program in the area.

Conditions We Treat

Our providers treat the full range of movement disorders seen in children including:

• Tremors – involuntary shaking of a part of the body
• Ataxia – disorders that cause clumsy movements and difficulty with coordination
• Dystonia – uncontrolled and involuntary muscle contractions
• Chorea – involuntary movements of the hands, feet and face
• Stereotypies and other developmental movement disorders in children
• Myocolonus – brief, involuntary muscle jerks
• Abnormal eye movements
• Tics – rapid, difficult to control movements or sounds
• Tourette’s syndrome

Symptoms of Movement Disorders

• Uncontrolled, sudden and repetitive movements and sounds
• Shaking or trembling arms or legs
• Stiff muscles
• Difficulties with balance and coordination
• Involuntary muscle jerks

What to expect at your appointment:

Your child’s first appointment will be with one of Le Bonheur’s pediatric neurologists who specialize in movement disorders and Tourette’s syndrome. A thorough neurological evaluation will be conducted in order to identify the proper diagnosis for your child.

If other services are needed, our pediatric neurologists may refer your child to other providers at Le Bonheur, including behavioral psychologists who are trained in CBIT (Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics), neuropsychologists for cognitive testing, child psychiatry for management of associated conditions and rehabilitation services including physical, occupational and speech therapy. Our experts will work with your child’s school to provide education to teachers and create the best education plan for your child.

For rare movement disorders, your child may be referred to one of our geneticists for further genetic testing. Our geneticist have access to whole genome sequencing – a technique that determines a child’s entire DNA sequence.

Treatment Options for Tourette’s Syndrome and Movement Disorders

Successfully treating movement disorders or Tourette’s syndrome means treating not only the underlying causes, but ensuring that your child has the tools to navigate everyday life. These treatments include:

• Oral medications
• Diagnosis and treatment of co-morbidities such as anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT) – a non-medication treatment that teaches patients how to cope with and manage their tics

Research and Clinical Trials

Le Bonheur’s experts are actively working to identify the underlying mechanisms of tics, Tourette’s syndrome and other movement disorders and find new treatments for these conditions. If you’re interested in learning more about available clinical trials, please contact us using the form below.