What is Tourette's Syndrome? Understanding Tourette's through a neuroinclusive lens
Jun 12, 2026
Tourette’s Syndrome is often misunderstood.
Many people only recognise the most stereotyped portrayals, usually focused on swearing or visible tics. In reality, Tourette’s is far more varied, nuanced and individual than public perception suggests.
For organisations, this matters because misunderstanding can create unnecessary barriers at work. Not usually through bad intent, but through assumptions, reactions and environments that make people feel exposed, scrutinised or unsupported.
A neuroinclusive approach starts by understanding Tourette’s beyond stereotypes, and creating workplaces where people are not spending energy managing other people’s discomfort.
What is Tourette’s Syndrome?
Tourette’s Syndrome (or Tourette Syndrome) is a neurological difference that involves tics.
Tics are involuntary movements and/or sounds that can happen repeatedly. They are not usually something a person can simply ‘stop doing’, particularly for long periods of time.
Tics can include:
- Eye blinking
- Facial movements
- Shoulder movements
- Head movements
- Throat clearing
- Sniffing
- Repeating sounds or words
- Vocal noises
Some people experience mild tics. Others experience more frequent, intense or physically painful tics.
Tics can also change over time. They may increase, decrease or shift depending on factors such as:
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Environment
- Pressure to suppress tics
- Sensory overload
Tourette’s exists on a spectrum of experiences. No two people experience it in exactly the same way.
Tourette’s is about more than visible tics
One of the biggest misconceptions about Tourette’s is that it only affects visible movement or sound.
For many people, the experience of Tourette’s is also shaped by the environment around them and the effort involved in navigating social expectations.
Some people with Tourette’s describe experiences related to:
- Sensory sensitivity
- Attention and concentration
- Fatigue from suppressing tics
- Anxiety about being judged or misunderstood
- Heightened self-monitoring in social or professional environments
These experiences vary significantly between individuals.
In many workplaces, the challenge is not simply the tic itself, but the pressure to manage reactions from other people.
The pressure to suppress tics at work
Many people with Tourette’s describe learning to suppress or hide tics in certain environments, sometimes called masking.
This often develops because of:
- Fear of judgement
- Negative past experiences
- Worry about being seen as disruptive
- Pressure to appear ‘professional’
- Concern about distracting others
But suppression is not neutral.
For many people, suppressing tics requires sustained concentration and effort. Over time, this can become exhausting.
In workplaces, this may lead to:
- Increased fatigue
- Reduced concentration
- Heightened stress
- Burnout
- Avoidance of meetings or social situations
- Difficulty sustaining performance over time
A neuroinclusive workplace does not expect people to constantly manage themselves to protect the comfort of others.
It creates environments where difference is understood rather than scrutinised.
Moving beyond stereotypes
One of the most prevalent misconceptions about Tourette’s is the belief that it always involves swearing.
This is known as coprolalia, and in reality only affects a minority of people with Tourette’s.
Reducing Tourette’s to this stereotype creates several problems:
- It trivialises lived experience
- It reinforces stigma
- It increases fear about disclosure
- It creates inaccurate expectations
Many people with Tourette’s are highly skilled professionals whose experiences may not match public assumptions at all.
The problem is often not capability.
It is how environments respond to visible difference.
What can make workplaces difficult?
Workplaces can unintentionally create barriers for people with Tourette’s through rigid expectations and social norms.
For example:
Highly silent environments
In environments where silence is strongly expected, vocal or movement tics can create anxiety about being noticed or judged.
Constant visibility
Open-plan offices, video calls and heavily observed environments can increase self-consciousness and pressure to suppress tics.
Misinterpretation of behaviour
Tics may be misunderstood as:
- Distraction
- Nervousness
- Lack of professionalism
- Disengagement
Social reactions from others
Even subtle reactions can have an impact.
For example:
- Staring
- Laughing
- Repeatedly commenting on tics
- Looking visibly uncomfortable
- Drawing unnecessary attention to behaviour
Over time, this can increase self-monitoring and make workplaces feel psychologically unsafe.
Often, the issue is not the tic itself.
It is the environment surrounding it.
Creating more accessible and neuroinclusive environments
A neuroinclusive workplace does not require people to appear ‘typical’ in order to belong.
It reduces unnecessary barriers so people can focus on contributing effectively.
Practical approaches include:
1. Normalise difference without over-focusing on it
Most people do not want their tics to become the centre of attention.
Helpful approaches include:
- Responding calmly and naturally
- Avoiding staring or drawing attention to tics
- Not repeatedly commenting on behaviours
- Following the individual’s lead
Inclusion is often built through ordinary, respectful behaviour.
2. Build psychological safety
People are more likely to feel comfortable when they know they will not be judged for visible differences.
This includes:
- Challenging mocking or inappropriate comments
- Encouraging respectful curiosity rather than assumptions
- Creating cultures where people can ask for what helps
Psychological safety reduces the pressure to constantly self-monitor.
3. Offer flexibility around environments
Some environments can intensify stress, fatigue or sensory overload.
Helpful reasonable adjustments may include:
- Access to quieter spaces
- Flexible working arrangements
- Camera flexibility during virtual meetings
- Reduced sensory distractions where possible
- Choice around seating or workspace setup
Small environmental changes can significantly reduce cognitive load and stress.
4. Avoid equating professionalism with physical stillness
Many workplace expectations are based on narrow ideas of what professionalism ‘looks like’.
For example:
- Sitting perfectly still
- Appearing physically composed at all times
- Never making involuntary sounds or movements
These expectations can unintentionally penalise difference.
Professionalism should be measured through:
- Quality of work
- Collaboration
- Outcomes
Not whether someone’s body moves differently.
5. Respond proportionately and consistently
One of the most supportive things colleagues and managers can do is respond without making tics feel unusual or disruptive.
This means:
- Avoiding overreaction
- Not becoming visibly uncomfortable
- Avoiding unnecessary reassurance or attention
- Treating the person consistently over time
People often feel far more comfortable when difference is acknowledged naturally rather than treated as something tense or fragile.
6. Don’t assume one experience represents everyone
Tourette’s is highly individual.
What helps one person may not help another.
The most effective approach is curiosity, not assumptions.
A simple question such as:
‘Is there anything that would help you work more comfortably or effectively?’
is often far more useful than trying to predict someone’s needs.
What neuroaffirmative support looks like
A neuroaffirmative approach does not frame Tourette’s as something that needs to be ‘fixed’.
Instead, it recognises that difficulties often emerge through the interaction between the individual and the environment around them.
This means shifting away from:
- ‘How do we stop this behaviour?’
- ‘How do we make this less noticeable?’
towards questions like:
- ‘What barriers are being created here?’
- ‘What assumptions are shaping this environment?’
- ‘How do we create space for difference without judgement?’
The goal is not forced conformity.
It is enabling people to contribute without unnecessary barriers.
Common misconceptions
‘People with Tourette’s can control their tics if they try hard enough.’
Suppressing tics is often exhausting and difficult to sustain.
‘Tourette’s always involves swearing.’
Only a minority of people with Tourette’s experience coprolalia.
‘Tics are caused by stress.’
Stress can influence tic severity, but Tourette’s is neurological, not caused by anxiety alone.
‘Visible tics mean someone is struggling to work effectively.’
Tics do not determine intelligence, capability or professionalism.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tourette’s considered neurodivergence?
Yes. Tourette’s is commonly included within neurodivergence.
Should managers acknowledge tics directly?
This depends on the individual and context. In many cases, following the person’s lead and responding naturally is the most respectful approach.
Can workplace environments make tics worse?
Yes. Stress, sensory overload, pressure and psychological unsafety can all affect tic frequency or intensity.
Do vocal tics reflect someone’s personal beliefs or opinions?
No. Vocal tics are involuntary and should not be interpreted as intentional beliefs, views or opinions.
Are adjustments always formal?
No. Many effective changes are small, informal and built into everyday ways of working.
Final thought
Tourette’s is often misunderstood because people focus on the visible tic rather than the environment surrounding it.
A neuroinclusive workplace recognises that the goal is not to make people appear more typical.
It is to create environments where people do not have to spend unnecessary energy managing difference in order to belong.
That shift changes far more than awareness alone ever will.
What next?
If your organisation wants to build more neuroinclusive environments that reduce barriers and support different ways of thinking, communicating and working, we support leadership teams, HR functions and all colleagues to create practical, sustainable change.
