Living with Tourette
Syndrome (TS) and
Attention Deficit
Hyperactive Disorder
(ADHD)
• Living with TS and ADHD is sometimes very
hard because people make fun of you and don’t
understand your disability. My name is Mark
Ostmeyer and I have TS and ADHD. Over the
last year I have begun to teach others about my
disability and what it’s like to live with TS.
What is TS
• Tourette Syndrome is a neurological
disorder which becomes evident in early
childhood or adolescence (generally
between the ages of 2 and 15). TS is
defined by multiple motor and vocal tics
lasting for more than a year. All students
with TS will have exhibited involuntary
multiple motor tics.
• Tourette symptoms may come and go. At
times they may appear very intense and at
other times absent. Tics can also change
over time. For example a student who
sniffs and coughs this year may blink and
shrug shoulders next year.
• Tics are involuntary yet some students can
suppress symptoms for a short time.
However the tics will often come out later
and with greater intensity.
What causes TS?
• The causes of Tourette Syndrome are not
clearly understood. We know it is a
neurobiological disorder that may result
from a malfunction of one or more
neurotransmitter systems in the brain.
There is also a genetic component.
Individuals with TS have about a 50%
chance of passing the gene on to their
children.
Common Tics
• Most common motor
tics include:
*eye blinking
*squinting
*nose-twitching
*lip smacking
*tongue-thrusting
*shoulder shrugging
*arm extending…etc.
• Most common vocal tics
include:
*throat clearing
*grunting
*spitting
*swearing
*stammering
*hissing
*shouting
*barking
*moaning…etc.
Other behavioral patterns or
Co-occurring conditions
• Individuals with TS often suffer from any number
of behavioral conditions:
*Obsessive Compulsive Disorders or traits
*Hyperactivity
*Attention Deficit Disorders
*Learning Disabilities
*Self-Injury
*Antisocial Behavior
*Inappropriate Sexual Behavior
* Anger Outburst
*Discipline Problems
*Sleep Problems
Co morbidities/co-occurring conditions are generally
more bothersome than the tics in TS. When quality of
life ratings are conducted most rate the behavioral
aspects as being more detrimental
I can’t help having tics. It feels like--“if I don’t do it something will happen.” It
gets annoying when others tell me to stop
sniffing or clearing my throat because when
they mention it--it makes it worse and I tic
more.
For me it’s organization. I have to have
everything organized. I have to do it because it
will drive me nuts if I stare at it to long. I also
need things I make to look the same on all sides.
If I put a stripe on one side of a model---I have
to put it on the other side.
I get really hyper and people don’t want
to be around me.
My tic is throat clearing and I get really
tired of it but I know it will get better with age.
It is pretty hard having Tourette’s because there
are a lot of people that don’t understand it--Like
in band class, my teacher should know what people
say to me and she doesn’t do anything about it.
They continue to tell me to be quiet and that I can
Stop making noises. I think the class and my teacher
need to be taught about disabilities.
School Related Strategies for
Students with TS
Students with TS face many challenges within the
school environment. Tics, social stigma, peer
reactions, behaviors related to co-occurring
conditions and learning difficulties can make
education environments a very unpleasant
experience. Teacher response to these conditions
can make a critical difference!!!!!
Academic Strategies
Modify test-taking to private areas to allow students opportunities to focus on
assignments rather than suppress tics.
Accommodate visual motor integration issues. Disproportionately high
numbers of students with TS have some type of Learning Disability.
Wave or extend time on tests and assignments.
Reduce length of assignments.
Provide graph paper to help line up math problems.
Do not penalize for poor handwriting.
Use oral reporting instead of written when possible.
Do not penalize for spelling errors--encourage spell check.
Provide class notes rather than have students copy from the board or overhead.
Use books on tape to reduce reading anxieties.
Allow mechanical pencils to avoid sharpened pencil obsessions.
Provide transition time between activities.
Teach organizational skills.
Behavioral Strategies
Remember tics occur involuntarily. Try not to react with
anger or annoyance.
Provide students with breaks often and out of the room to
reduce anxiety or to allow tics to come out.
Program for sensory defensiveness.
Help students to learn to remove themselves from a situation
before it escalates out of control.
Impulse control issues will best be addressed through
redirection and education for the student and others.
Teach redirection to reduce anger control and explosive
episodes.
Social Strategies
• Bulling cannot be ignored!! Education of peers will
reduce fear and ignorance surrounding TS.
• Social skill training and coping strategies should be
specifically taught to deal with behavior issue and peer
teasing.
• Provide verbal mediation for non-verbal experiences.
• Remember students with TS may have many co-occurring
behaviors that are neurologically based.
Additional Facts About Tourette Syndrome
An estimated 100,000 Americans have full blown TS. And more than
1 million people are suspected to have milder forms of the condition.
Coprolalia-Saying socially inappropriate words, often portrayed in the
media as a common TS behavior -- Is in truth fairly rare. Less than
15% of individuals with TS exhibit coprolalia behaviors.