believed that someone

with Tourettes has a 50%

chance of passing it on to

his/her offspring. It is

possible for someone to

carry the genes for

Tourettes without express-

ing any symptoms. Also,

men are much more likely

to express the symptoms

of Tourettes than women.

Tourettes Syndrome is a

neurological disorder

which presents itself with

tics beginning in child-

hood. Tourettes will always

present itself before the

age of 18. These tics can

be either physical or vocal

tics.

Somewhere between 1 and

10 out of every 1000

Americans are diagnosed

with Tourettes each year.

Of those cases almost all

are minor. Occasionally in

extreme cases of Tourettes

you will see the obscene

exclamatory remarks com-

monly associated with

Tourettes; however, these

cases are rare and this is

scene in only about 10% of

cases. Most cases involve

minor tics such as blink-

ing, coughing, sniffing,

throat clearing, and

facial movements. The

syndrome may even

There is no effective

medication to prevent the

tics caused by Tourettes.

The best medication is

education and reassurance

will help the tolerance of

Tourettes.

The exact cause of

Tourettes is unknown;

however, it is believed to

be a genetic disorder. It is

Informing America About Tourettes

Living With Tourettes: Tics

For those with Tourettes

the worst part about it may

be the tics or the unvolun-

tary movements or sounds

occurring unpredictably.

Tics are described as un-

voluntary and not involun-

tary because you are able

to control when the tics

occur, but after awhile the

tics must occur. This is

similar to an itch. You feel

an itch and you must itch

it. Someone with Tourettes

may feel pressure in their

eyes so they force them-

selves to twitch to ease the

sensation.

If you are able to hold off

your tics for a long period

of time then it is likely that

you will suffer from an

sharp increase in tics after

they have been suppressed

for say an entire day at

school or work.

Children between the ages

of 8 and 12 have the high-

est severity of tics. These

are most commonly eye

blinking, throat clearing,

shrugging of the shoul-

ders, and sniffling. Tics

steadily decline throughout

adolescence and can disap-

pear completely by age 18.

MICDS

All About Tourettes

The Area of the brain which causes

the symptoms expressed by

Tourettes Syndrome.

Inside this

issue:

Informing America

About Tourettes

1

Living With

Tourettes: Tics

1

Boy 10, Overcomes

both Bullying and

Tourettes

2

Family Life With

Tourettes

2

History of Tourettes 2

Viewing Tourettes

with a positive Atti-

tude

3

Inside Story 4

11/24/09 Volume 1, Issue 1

Special points of

interest:

http://www.medical-

look.com/

Neurologi-

cal_disorders/

Tourettes_syndrome.ht

ml

http://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Tourette_syndrome

Lifesatwitch.com

David Little has experienced

the tics that come with

Tourettes Syndrome ever

since he was in the first

grade. That is when the bully-

ing started; however, the

bullying would only get

worse.

Those who know David would

describe him as a nice, out-

going, and likable guy, but

when David entered the 1st

graded at his new school

Rocky Road Elementary his

new classmates could not

handle his constant need to

blink his eyes, twitch his face,

and shrug his shoulders. His

fellow students called him

names, made fun of him of-

ten by imitating his tics, and

he was even physically beaten

up when he could not explain

to them why he was

“different.”

The bullying went on into the

fourth grade. Overtime David

realized that the only way to

stop the bullying was to edu-

cate his classmates about the

syndrome which plagues

some 200,000 people in the

U.S alone. David with help

from his school’s nurse to-

gether made a presentation

educating the school not only

about Tourettes but about

the affects which bullying

created as well. David re-

ceived a standing ovation for

his presentation. The children

in David’s class now empa-

thizing with David have put

the bullying to and end. Now

they have even quit bullying

other former targets knowing

the impact their actions had

on them.

Seeing the impact David had

on the children in his school

David decided that he needed

to inform the world about

both bullying and Tourettes.

He now has given presenta-

tion to more than 30 schools

and organizations across the

country with the goal of pre-

vention through education.

made in explaining the tics.

People throughout the 20th

century believe that Tourettes

was a mental disease, and

that people with the disease

were mentally challenged.

In the 1960’s and 70’s the

general view on Tourettes

changed when the medicine

Haldol was used to treat the

tics of a patient with

Tourettes. The public then

began to realize that

Tourettes could not be a

mental disease if it had been

The first case of Tourettes

was in 1825 by the French

doctor Jean Marc Gaspard

Itard. He described the

Tourettes which was affecting

Marquise de Dampierre an

important woman of the time.

Jean-Martin Charcot a French

physician studied patients at

the Salpêtrière Hospital. He

developed the term Tourettes

for the illness which we now

know today.

Throughout the 20th century

there was little progress

treated using medicine.

Today scientists and doctors

have been able to use neuroi-

maging to better understand

the cause of Tourettes. Tech-

nology has made it possible

for doctors to look for a

treatment to affectively cure

the tics associated with

Tourettes. No such affective

treatment has been found,

but there is hope for one in

the near future.

Boy 11, Overcomes Both Bullying and Tourettes

History of Tourettes Syndrome

because both Mark and Patty

Jacobsen have the syndrome,

and were likely to pass it to

their child since Tourettes is

passed down through genes.

Now their son Harry, age 6 is

having tics, the abnormal

outbursts of physical or vocal

expression that almost al-

ways comes with Tourettes.

Harry hasn’t had trouble deal-

ing with his tics. He is a bit

young, but his parents having

been through the same situa-

tion Harry is going through

have been positive about his

situation.

The family believes that

Tourettes gives them all

something to relate to now

that they all have had to deal

with Tourettes. When Harry as

asked about his tics he re-

sponded by saying, “I don’t

mind it because my Mommy

and Daddy both went through

the same thing, it’s actually

kind of cool.”

Family Life With Tourettes

Living in a family where

Tourettes is present can be

difficult for everyone, but

generally is not seen as a

disadvantage by most.

“Our family would not be the

same without Tourettes.

Tourettes has brought our

family closer rather than

apart.”

The Jacobsen family is noth-

ing new to Tourettes. In fact

they knew before their child

was born he was likely to be

born with Tourettes. This was

Page 2 All About Tourettes

Jean-Martin Charcot: The French doc-

tor who defined the illness which was

Tourettes inn the mid 1800’s.

David created a

symbol for those

with Tourettes

Syndrome.

“His new

classmates could

not handle his

constant need to

blink his eyes,

twitch his face,

and shrug his

shoulders.”

Education and acceptance are

two keys in helping someone

deal with Tourettes. If the

person with Tourettes feels

comfortable and they are

relaxed they are less likely to

experience their tics.

For people that have

Tourettes it may help them to

discuss their tics with other

people which have Tourettes.

By doing this you are able to

meet new people who you

are able to relate to and look

at your similar situations

positively. Also being with

people whom you know have

tics will work to your benefit.

You are able to see their tics,

and they see your tics. This

will make it easier for you to

cope with your tics knowing

you are not the only one who

experiences the effect of

Tourettes.

By educating the public about

Tourettes you may be able to

prevent someone from misin-

terpreting Tourettes as a

mental disease or from mak-

ing fun of or bullying some-

body with Tourettes.

Through education the public

is able to empathize with

those who have Tourettes.

With knowledge the public

will make it easier for people

with Tourettes to prevent

their tics. People with

Tourettes will feel relaxed

knowing the public is in-

formed about their condition

and that they are viewed as

their equal.

Viewing Tourettes With A positive Attitude

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1

Through empathy, education,

and good humor Tourettes

can be accepted by the world.

"Tourette’s syndrome - Medical Look." Medical Look - Your Medical World. N.p., n.d.

Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.medical-look.com/Neurological_disorders/

Tourettes_syndrome.html>.

Kutscher, Martin, Robert Wolff, and Tony Attwood. Kids in the syndrome mix of

ADHD, LD, Asperger's, Tourette's, bipolar, and more! : the one stop guide for

parents, teachers, and other professionals. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishing,

2005. Print

"Tourette syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free

encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Tourette_syndrome>

Brody, Jane . "Bizarre Outbursts of Tourette's Disease Victims Linked to Chemical

Disorder in Brain." New York Times 29 May 1975: 70. Print

Mckinley, Duncan . "Life's A Twitch! Tourettes Syndrome & Tics Site by Dr. B.

Duncan McKinlay, C.Psych.." Life's A Twitch! Tourettes Syndrome & Tics Site by Dr.

B. Duncan McKinlay, C.Psych.. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://

www.lifesatwitch.com/>

Bibliography

Resources

School Resource

For my school resource I found a book in the Library called Kids in the Syndrome Mix of ADHD, LD, Asperger’s, Tourettes,

Bipolar and More! This book was written by Marin L. Kutsher, Robert R. Wolff, and Tony Attwood. This book was an easy

overview of the neurological syndromes that commonly affect children one of those Syndromes being Tourettes. The book

provides educational information regarding Tourettes; it’s symptoms; and treatments. The book helps you understand how to

interact with a person who has the syndrome. This book really helped me understand how you can positively impact the life of

someone with Tourettes and I used that information in my newsletter.

Local Resource

For my local resource I called Tourettes Syndrome Associates located at 73 Fortune Lane in St. Louis Missouri. Their phone

number is 314-984-9019. I spoke with Lynn Lats who is the co-chairman of the organization. The organization holds meetings

at St. John’s Mercy Hospital with the goal of educating people about Tourettes and encouraging people with Tourettes to be

positive about their situation. This organization helped provide me with information on how you can help people with

Tourettes remain positive and the importance of educating people about Tourettes.

National Resource

For my national resource I decided to call the Tourettes Syndrome Association or TSA. The organization is based in Bayside,

NY at 42-40 Bell Blvd. Suite 205. Their phone number is 718-224-2999. I spoke with Taylor Hiller a volunteer at the organiza-

tion. The organization has the same goals as my local resource as my local resource is a branch off of my national resource.

The only difference is the National Resource provides information for a broader spectrum of people being a national resource.

They hold fundraisers and events with the money raised going towards their cause to make life better for those with Tourettes.