Tics May Hold Clues to Learning Disabilities

　

抽搐可能提示学习障碍

While most of us think of the typical Tourette's patient as the rare eccentric who barks obscenities and jerks their arms wildly, a recent study says much more subtle symptoms of Tourette's and related tic disorders are far more common than once thought.    大多数人认为典型的图雷特氏病患者十分少见，这些患者的症状是用尖锐或咆哮的嗓门说出污秽下流的话并且胡乱地挥动着手臂。但最近的研究表明，图雷特氏病和相关的抽搐综合症的亚临床症状比以前认为的要常见得多。According to the study published in the journal Neurology, mild tics such as lip puckering, eye rolling, head tossing, and nose scrunching are important clues to diagnosing other learning disabilities.    依据这项刊登在《神经学》杂志上的研究报告，轻微的抽搐如卷舌头、翻眼睛、摇头和抽鼻,是诊断其它一些学习障碍的重要线索。"Kids with mild tics are at a higher risk for developing future school problems. This is a way of identifying children ahead of time so they can be monitored - a clue to how the child's brain is organized," says lead study author Dr. Roger Kurlan, director of the Tourette's Syndrome Clinic and the Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Clinic at the University of Rochester in New York.    本研究第一作者、纽约罗切斯特大学图雷特氏综合症诊所和认知及行为神经学诊所的所长Roger Kurlan博士说:“有轻微抽搐的孩子将来发展成学习问题的危险很高，这样可以提前诊断这些孩子，及早监测他们，这也提供了一个帮助了解孩子的脑组成的线索。”To determine the prevalence of tics and Tourette's syndrome in school-aged children, Kurlan looked at a group of 1,600 children in both regular and special education classrooms in Rochester.    为了解抽搐综合症和图雷特氏症在学龄儿童中的发病情况，Kurlan观察了来自罗切斯特普通和特殊教育班级的1600名儿童。Kurlan found that just under 20 percent of children in regular classes and up to 27 percent of children in special education classes showed signs of tics. His study also revealed a three percent incidence of Tourette's in the general population - a rate three to 30 times greater than previous estimates.    Kurlan发现不到20%的普通班孩子和高达27%的特教班孩子有抽搐的表现。他的研究还揭示了在一般人群中图雷特氏病的发病率为3%，这比以前的估计要高出了至少3至30倍。"People, including parents and doctors, thought Tourette's meant having severe symptoms, but these cases are just the tip of the iceberg. The vast majority of cases have extremely mild cases," says Kurlan. A lot of children have transient tics during development, but pediatricians usually tell parents not to worry about it, it will go away, and it usually does. The tic turns into a disorder if it lasts for longer than 12 months. And for tics to indicate Tourette's syndrome, both vocal tics (eg, grunting, beeping, throat-clearing) and motor tics (eg, shoulder popping, eye rolling, blinking) must co-exist for longer than a year.    Kurlan说：“包括父母和医生在内的人，都以为图特氏病的症状很严重，但这些严重的病例仅是冰山一角，大多数病例的症状极其轻微。”许多孩子在发育过程中有短暂的抽搐，但是儿科医生通常会告诉家长不要为此担心，这种抽搐会消失，通常情况就是这样。 假如抽搐持续超过12个月，抽搐就转为一种病了。此时，如果要确诊抽搐者患了图雷特氏病, 那么声音抽搐（如发出呼噜、嘟嘟，清喉声）和运动抽搐（如耸肩、翻眼、眨眼）必需同时存在超过一年。Experts caution that if a parent notices their child has a mild tic, there is little need for immediate alarm unless a learning disability is also suspected.    专家提醒，如果父母发现他们的孩子有轻微的抽搐，除非他们还怀疑孩子有学习障碍，否则几乎不需要马上就惊慌不安。"You really don't need a treatment for tics, but they are a sign you should pay attention to as they may point to other things," says Kurlan.    Kurlan说：“你真的不需要去治疗抽搐，但是它们是一个信号，你应该关注由它们可能预示的其它问题。”And experts stress the most important thing for parents of children with tics to keep in mind is the impact on the child's life.    专家强调，对有抽搐症状儿童的父母来说，最重要的是记住抽搐对孩子一生的影响。