Tourette syndrome is a physical disability possibly caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Symptoms include tics – repetitive movements of various parts the face and body, and/or vocal noises. These tics can be distracting in the classroom. Explaining Tourette syndrome to classmates and peers may be the most difficult task facing a teacher who has a student with the disorder.
Physical Symptoms of Tourette Syndrome
Children with Tourette syndrome usually display physical symptoms by age 7, and the various eye, face, and body movements widely vary in frequency and severity. Most often, symptoms worsen in the teen years and when a child is under stress. Tics can include any of the following:
- blinking
- clearing the throat
- repeating sounds and words
- nonsense sounds
- yelling
- swearing
- jerking of head, neck, shoulders
- finger or hand flapping
- grimacing
- foot stomping
- clapping
- hitting
- jumping
Other symptoms of Tourette syndrome include obsessive-compulsive behaviors, sensory processing issues, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder and increased aggression. There is no cure for Tourette syndrome, but medication may help to lessen the physical symptoms of Tourette’s and can help some of the other symptoms that affect the learning process. What is most important however, is for students with this disorder to be valued and understood.
Explaining Tourette’s to Peers and Classmates
The way a teacher handles developing perceptions in the classroom and explains the symptoms of Tourette syndrome to the student's peers will have a huge impact on the child’s happiness and success at school. Firstly, a classroom teacher should model the appropriate behavior by accepting the child as someone who is a valuable contributor to be treated with respect.
This can be done in a number of ways, including ignoring tics to help reduce the child's stress and highlighting the student's interests and strengths. It is also possible to let the student with Tourette's share his feelings about the physical symptoms of the disorder – but only if he is comfortable with doing so. This will help the other kids in the classroom understand that the child is like any other and should not be defined by his disability.
Finally, teachers can help kids with Tourette’s find other means to cope with the disorder. Sports, for example, may provide children with a physical outlet for their aggression and sensory-seeking tendencies, and allow them to become more socially accepted. This venue will also be a place where parents of children with Tourette’s can associate with one another and foster an understanding of the disorder.
Explaining Tourette syndrome to classmates and peers will be the key in any child’s social and academic success in school. Communicating with the student’s parents and the school councilor will be an important first step. Modeling acceptance will be a second. Teachers seeking more information on this tic disorder may be interested in reading Tourette Syndrome in the Classroom.
Source:
Haerle, Tracy (editor), Children with Tourette Syndrome: A Parents' Guide. MD: Woodbine House, 1992.
Karen Plumley - Karen Plumley is a writer specializing in parenting and education. She works for Parenting NH and the Hippo, NH's most widely read ...
