I dig those peeps at WorryWiseKids.org who are helping to raise the bar to better understand Tourette’s syndrome (TS).
Their mission is to lessen the suffering that children with Tourette’s face in hopes that they’ll reach their full potential. After all, these kids are not at fault for having this condition that compels them to worry and have disruptive thoughts and behaviors.
If you aren’t familiar with Tourette’s in kids, they suffer from involuntary repetitive actions, also called “tics.” Similar to some symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), These tics cause them to act out on them in a compulsive way.
Some of the more commonly known symptoms of Tourette’s include:
Motor Tics:
- Eye twitching or repetitive blinking
- Twitching the nose
- Making strange facial expressions, or grimacing
- Clapping or the compulsion to touch things
Verbal Tics:
- Clearing the throat
- Squeaking or squealing
- Humming or singing
- Inappropriately shouting
Tourette’s syndrome can wreck these kids’ lives because they’re bullied at school and teased relentlessly by “friends” and unfortunately, sometimes, even by their own siblings. People can be so cruel and this needs to stop. Now.
What is the best way to spread awareness about Tourette’s Syndrome?
Well, I like the approach that WorryWiseKids has – to promote the facts as possible solutions. They provide content that’s conversational and easy to comprehend. They particularly discuss Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT), a type of behavioral therapy that basically helps to replace one behavior (tic) with another behavior that could be less noticeable. For example, instead of repeatedly clearing their throats or grunting, kids learn to replace those behaviors with deep breathing.
