Wednesday,
March 31, 2004:
Dr. Duncan McKinlay looks forward to the day
when no child has to endure what he and countless
other Tourette Syndrome sufferers have experienced
while growing up.
For
years he tried to hide the unexplained tics
and other strange behaviours his body uncontrollably
tried to exhibit. What he now knows, however,
is that suppressing his symptoms only made them
worse.
"The
more you think about a tic, the more effort
you put into stopping it," he said, following
a recent two-day conference in Truro, hosted
by the Community Justice Resource Centre.
Tourette
Syndrome (otherwise known as Tourette's Syndrome,
Tourette's Disorder or TS) is a disorder (not
an illness)influenced by neurological, psychological,
and sociological factors and characterized by
tics - sudden, rapid, recurrent non-rhythmic
movements or noises that occur repeatedly in
the same way.
Symptoms
include both multiple motor tics (shaking of
the head) and one or more vocal phonic tics
(which may or may not include vocalizations)
present at some time during the disorder although
not necessarily simultaneously. Tics occur many
times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every
day or intermittently throughout a span of more
than one year.
Periodic
changes can be expected in the number, frequency,
type and location of the tics and the severity
of their onset. Symptoms can sometimes disappear
for weeks or months at a time.
During
the conference, McKinlay also dealt with issues
surrounding children with rage, attention deficit
problems and other related disorders which carry
similar traits.
For
children with Tourette's, what appears to be
defiant behaviour brought on by the tics can
include a child uttering strange and annoying
noises, swearing, scribbling on their homework
or peeing themselves in class. And, "ironically,"
McKinlay said, while a teacher or parent uneducated
about the disorder perceives the action of a
sufferer as akin to deviant behaviour, what
they don't realize is that in trying to control
the tic the child is "trying to be a good
kid' but is actually aggravating their own situation.
Because
such actions are often misinterpreted as bratty
behaviour, McKinlay said, he spent much of the
two-day conference dealing with how adults can
read the attention-seeking behaviour for what
it really is.
"You
realize, OK, treatment is necessary, a bigger
stick isn't necessary," McKinlay said.
"It's not this kid trying to behave badly."
And
while there has been an "explosion of awareness"
over the past five years there is still a lot
of ground to cover before children who suffer
from TS and related disorders receive the recognition
and attention they deserve.
"If
a kid doesn't have the use of his legs, we don't
think twice about giving him a wheelchair. We
just accept that this is a necessary tool,"
he said. "Why aren't we doing this for
mental health issues?"
Kim
Cavanaugh, whose son Cory, 7, was diagnosed
with Tourette's a year ago, said she came away
from the conference with a changed state of
mind.
"I
think it will be a great benefit, long lasting.
Already this morning I started changing my parenting,"
she said, on the second day of the conference.
"I
think the more help parents get to learn about
the disorders, the better parenting we can do
and the happier the children will be."
And
while some modern medications are also helpful
in treating TS sufferers, McKinlay said, the
real key to dealing with the issues they face
is through education and understanding, not
punishment and school suspensions.
Tourette's
sufferer uses personal experiences to aid
others
BY
TRURO DAILY NEWS STAFF
