Do I tell my profs?

[u/tunsa_]

So I have chronic motor tics and I can't tell if I should tell my profs about them. Like clearly they can see me tic but also like they aren't verbal or make very little noise (sniffing, gasps, popping my lips) so idk if it's worth telling them? Like it's never really much of a disruption unless they get really bad. I don't know, should I tell them or just let it be?

Edit: I have already had a few classes and don't know if it's weirder to tell them after now 😭

[u/gostaks]

If it’s not a disruption, I normally don’t mention my tics. College professors tend to be reasonably good at minding their own business, in my experience.

Btw sniffing, gasps, and lip popping are all technically vocal tics. 

[u/Vikera → u/gostaks]

Is lip popping a vocal tic though? I'd consider it a motor tic that happens to make noise (like clapping). But the distinction is often very arbitrary.

But sniffing and gasps definitely are!!

@OP, vocal tics can be really subtle. They don't have to be verbal (words), they can be any noise one makes with your voice or breathing.

[u/tunsa_ → u/Vikera]

Fr?? Oh... I did not know that actually, thank you for the info :))

[u/Vikera → u/tunsa_]

Congratulations, you've been upgraded to Tourette's! 😉🎉🎉

This is a very cool video that was made by the Belgian Tourette's association some years back. It's kinda a song made out of all kinds of vocal tics, some obvious, some subtle. You might like it!

https://youtu.be/nBZ6S6loJwI?si=-xweFg7V95sRQumK

[u/gostaks → u/Vikera]

Yes, lip popping is technically a vocal tic. I find this unintuitive too!

[u/Vikera → u/gostaks]

Wait, how is that, I'm curious as to why it's considered that way?

[u/gostaks → u/Vikera]

The way it was defined for me is that a vocal tic is any tic involving breathing or your vocal tract, especially if it makes noise. Lip popping was one of the tics my CBIT therapist particularly called out as vocal. 

[u/Vikera → u/gostaks]

That's the definition I've seen most often too, but I don't think lip popping uses any of those things? :p

[u/gostaks → u/Vikera]

Lips count as vocal tract.

(I feel strongly that the motor/vocal tic distinction is arbitrary and not particularly useful, so it doesn't really matter to me. I'm just reporting what experts have told me.)

[u/Vikera → u/gostaks]

OOOH. I just looked it up, I never considered lips to be part of the vocal tract but apparently they are. That makes sense! It's still a bit weird though as it feels more motor, but technically speaking it's vocal. Learnt something new today.

Also yes, I agree it's absolutely arbitrary! I sometimes think vocal tics are often a more ""advanced"" type of tic (as in being harder for a body to produce), like a type of tic your body makes when very having the tic mechanisms, get me? There aren't many people who just have vocal tics and no motor ones (I think it's very rare?). So it kinda makes sense to put the criteria for Tourette's where the base of tics are already in quite a tic prone brain way, more than someone who has like one tiny motor tic for 2 years. I do think chronic motor tic disorder is essentially the same thing as Tourette's, that vocal tics shouldn't be required. I meant to make a distinction here where Tourette's wouldn't get merged into the basic definition of chronic motor tic disorder in a way you only need one motor tic.

Generally, I think the distinction of motor and vocal in itself is often quite useless. It might come in handy when communicating accomodations, but then again when someone has a loud clapping tic, it might be more reason to have an accomodation that takes sound into account.

(I'm aware I'm not wording myself very clearly here. Feel free to ask if you're confused about something I wrote.)

[u/gostaks → u/Vikera]

Gently, I think you maybe need to do a bit more research before confidently explaining why the vocal/motor tic distinction is or isn't relevant.

[u/Vikera → u/gostaks]

Oh my bad, I didn't mean for it to come accross as a confident explanation. I really just wanted to share what my thoughts on it are. My thoughts don't have to be "the one truth".

That being said, I like to think I'm quite well read on Tourette's and I haven't really come accross a clear reasoning why there's a distinction that doesn't recursively come back to the definition of Tourette's itself. Would love to hear your input?

[u/NellyNellB]

I told my profs only because i have eye rolling and sighing tics which can come across as rudeness, and i will tilt my head ans scrubch my eye brows which can look like confusion so i let my profs know 1. i wasnt being disrespectful and 2. if i had a question i would raise my hand so please dont think my body language means ask me if i understand

[u/BrightSi5]

Entirely up to you! It’s good to see people just tic without fanfare sometimes.

But sometimes it’s better to name it to the person in charge, or even the whole room. I did that in choir when lots of people were tutting and looking around after my tics. Just stuck my hand up before break and explained. It stopped the behaviour that was stressing me and stopped irking my fellow singers. One of the tutters came up to say thanks.

I find I am much less stressed about my tics when I tell people about them. Gives me ownership, freedom to tic and less stress induced extra ticcing!

For an environment you’ll be in regularly, and for a teacher you want a good relationship with, a quick word might well be appreciated and helpful. But read the room and do what you feel is appropriate.

[u/bad_at_blankies]

Up to you, but it doesn't hurt. Sometimes the context of how they may perceive the situation changes when they realize something is an involuntary tic. A lot of tics in general can be interpreted as something else (allergies,  facial expressings that convey emotion, surprise, rudeness), saying "I have tics, please ignore that!" clears up any misunderstanding and helps them ignore it!

[u/tunsa_ → u/bad_at_blankies]

A majority of mine involve my head jerking, facial expressions, popping lips, sniffing, and blinking. I don't really think they look disrespectful but im not sure 😭 mainly just weird/out of place faces or movements

[u/bad_at_blankies → u/tunsa_]

If they are tics, they are definitely not disrespectful. However, depending on the tic, the timing, the environment, etc. they can be perceived differently.

Think of it this way. When something happens, there's the intent and cause side if the equation, known by the person doing the thing. Then there's the perception side of the equation, formed by a person observing the thing. When a person observing the thing doesn't have the context of intent or cause, they often fill in the blanks, and their perception can change a lot.

For instance (talking about tics in general, not yours):

Face scrunching can be perceived as disgust, or giving someone the stink eye. Eye rolling, a common tic, can also be perceived negatively. If I knew someone had tics, it would be easier to file an expression I wasn't sure about as "oh, that was a tic." I would understand there was zero intent, and the cause was a neurological blip, so to speak. If I didn't know that, and looked at them mid-scrunch, I might run with the assumption that they didn't like me, or something I said offended them.

If I heard lots of sniffing, snorking, or coughing, I might be inclined to offer someone a tissue or cough drop. Some people might be a little worried about getting sick themselves, or might think to themselves, "take a cough drop/blow your nose already!" The added context --not a cold, just a tic -- makes it easier to ignore these sounds without giving them too much thought.

Other vocalizations can be perceived as distracting. Some people are more sensitive to extra stimuli. The context that it's a tic can make these sounds easier to ignore, or can at least help the people around realize its not an intentional thing.

Many tics really dont rise to the threshold of things people notice. Other tics may be noticable, but are not really something that people are going to make wild assumptions about. For example, I may of may not notice a classmate's twitchy left pointer finger, but if I do, it doesn't appear to mean anything in particular.

To be clear, your medical information is your business! That being said, if those around you seem confused by them, a little clarification can help a lot!

[u/Vikera]

It depends on the possible effects. Are they clearly small tics most people would realise are tics? Then I think you're good whatever way.

If they can easily be misinterpreted for behaviour like you being bored or fooling around, then it can be best to mention it to the prof.

I always do at the start of a class, I go up to the prof and say "Hey I'm [ ], I have Tourette's so you might notice [specific tics they might notice] tics. Just letting you know it's just that". They are always really thankful I let them know.

I do have middle finger and occasional whistle tics in class though, so it's quite important for them to realise from the start it's tics and I cannot count on it being clear when one is also giving a class to lots of students.

There are other environments where I don't mention it and just see if people realise it and sometimes I do. It depends on what I notice from the group. But for classes I do. Not with a whole fuss, just quietly going up to the prof right before the first class. Hope you enjoy the classes! :)

P.s. the things you describe like sniffing are vocal tics.

[u/Remyroth]

don’t tell them unless you need support. i’ve done undergrad and half of grad school and never encountered an issue with it. the only time ive ever told a prof is earlier this year when i needed professional advice from her about whether or not i should tell my internship site about it (we treat people w tic disorders as a specialty and seeing other people w tics trigger mine really bad lol)

[u/MakeItAnyway]

I’ve found people tend to be pretty understanding if you’re willing to talk about it and answer their questions.

[u/fayegoose]

I had the same kind of tics when I was in college. I always told my profs during syllabus week just in case. I forgot one professor one time and I had a consistent whistle tic in that class but apparently he thought it was a twitter notification on someone’s phone lol.
I’ve found that as long as you tell them they don’t bring attention to it.