Vocal and Motor Tics in 7 yr old

A year ago my stepdaughter started blinking & squinting, so her father (my husband) took her to the doctor. Her eye test was normal. He was told not to worry, she would eventually stop.  
She sniffs/snorts repeatedly and has what can be described as a "rotating" variety of vocal and motor tics. She lives with us every second week (her mother has 50% custody) so we easily notice changes when she comes home. She jerks both arms at the elbows repeatedly during the day. For instance, she's currently doing a short, shrill scream, several weeks ago she would bark intermittently. My daughters (9&4) and I ignore it but other children in the neighbourhood will ask "why are you doing that?!". She is not aware she is doing anything. If my husband and I see her doing something that might hurt herself (banging her fist repeatedly on her lower back or biting her forearm) we ask her to stop.
Combined with: (1) a problem with reading (with remedial help she's reached a Gr.1 level reading in Gr.2); (2) low self esteem despite a positive environment(she's recently started asking us repeatedly if she's fat (she'll only be 8 in March!) and 3) "no fear", i.e. she'll climb a tree so high she can't get down, we'll be hiking and she'll be determined to climb in a steep/unsafe area with no thought to her safety - I strongly suspect this is not transient or chronic tics, but indeed is Tourette's syndrome.
She's a funny, intelligent, wonderful girl and it's other people's reactions we worry about, we love her just the way she is. Is there anything we should we be doing to help her? Thanks!

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Yes, she should be examined by a pediatric neurologist. While the symptoms can be those of a transient tic disorder, it actually sound like it might be more than that, and might well be Tourette Syndrome.