HERE'S
A GIRL WHO THOUGHT THAT THE BOY IN HER CLASS WAS "MAKING UP"
TOURETTE UNTIL I TALKED TO THE CLASS!!
Dear Duncan
Thanks for telling us about Tourette's. At first when [the
boy with TS] was trying to tell us he had Tourette's we didn't
belive him. But when you came I couldn't belive that people
can really have Tourette's.
Now I know that [he] can't help doing his ticks. Because
now I know that his brain controlles him. Thanks for telling
us about what it fells like having Tourette's and giving us examples.
HERE'S
A BOY WHO THOUGHT THAT THE BOY IN HIS CLASS WAS DOING IT ON PURPOSE
UNTIL I TALKED TO THE CLASS!!
Dear Duncan
It was fun gessing how Tourette would feel! I learned how I should
respond to [the boy with TS]. I never knew that he
could not help it. Thanks!!
HERE'S
A BOY WHO WANTS TO BE NICER TO THE BOY WITH TS NOW THAT I TALKED TO
THE CLASS!!
Dear Duncan.
Thanks for coming and telling us about tourettes and showing us some
ticks. Now we can be nicer to [the boy with TS].
HERE'S
AN ENTIRE CLASS THAT WROTE A LETTER TO A
BOY WITH TS ONCE I CAME IN AND TOLD THEM ALL ABOUT WHY HE DID THE THINGS
HE DID!!
to [the boy with TS]
-it probably was hard
for you to tell us. -Sorry for being not nice to you. We thought you
were just trying to bug us. especially from the girls We'll try to treat
you nicer. -thanks for helping us with spelling -sorry for not playing
with you sometimes and for the way our friends treat you sometimes -sorry
we didn't believe you before when you tried to tell us about Tourette's.
-thanks for being a friend -thanks for letting us know.
from: The class.
HERE'S
A MOTHER THAT DID A PRESENTATION FOR HER
DAUGHTER'S CLASSROOM. THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT MIGHT BE EMBARASSING, DOESN'T
IT? BUT LOOK WHAT HAPPENED...!!
Last
week, I went into S's Grade 4 class and I did a presentation to her
class. I discussed her tics, explained their origin, and answered any
questions the kids had. S. did a short speech to tell the kids to 'leave
the teasing behind'. I had gone into your Youth haven section and used
the info Jake and Chandra
provided. It was age appropriate for the kids I spoke to and they related
very well to this.
S.'s teacher is
absolutely amazing! She will tolerate NO teasing or berating. The day
before my presentation, a boy in S's class had imitated her 'throat
clearing'. S. handled it very well, but Mrs B. took over after S. was
done her explanation. She explained a little to him and had him think
of any questions he needed to know, to ask me the next day. (Boy, did
he have great questions!).
Mrs. B. went one
step further....the morning of my presentation, she had the kids pass
a paper heart around the class. As each child got the heart, he/she
would say a 'cut-down', crumple the heart and then pass it to the next
child to
do the same. She then showed the class the crumpled heart and said that's
how a person felt when something mean was said or done to him/her. She
passed the heart around again and had each child apologize for their
cut-down, then open the heart up and pass it to the next child to apologize.
At the end of it all, the heart was still very crumpled and wrinkled.
She explained that although the apology was given...the heart was never
the same!
She also had each
child do homework that night...they were to write a speech about what
they had learned about S's [TS] and present it to their parents. They
explained their knowledge of Transient Tic Syndrome (TTS), Tourette's
and other related Tic Syndrome's! The information ball was sent rolling.
I even had a close friend come up to me and talk to me about S's tics.
She said her daughter had presented a speech to herself and her husband.
She had had no idea what S. and our family were going through or what
the causes etc were...but she does now! She said I had got through to
a few of the other kids in the class too.
It's tough for
any kid or adult to have to constantly explain their
behaviour/tics. I explained this to the class and asked if they could
help S. by stepping up to the plate for her and acting as her voice.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
