Tourette syndrome is a tic disorder that starts in childhood. The prime symptom is to have repeated tics. A tic is a sudden movement or sound that is repeated over and over. A tic has no purpose and, in general, you cannot help doing it. For example, repeated blinking, repeated throat clearing, repeated head nodding, etc. Tics are very common in children and usually last less than one year. However, children with Tourette syndrome have many types of tics of sudden movements and noises and the tics persist for more than a year.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/mental-health/tourette-syndrome-leaflet