Tourette Syndrome
The Other Health Impairment category covers so many different disabilities. In the article "Tourette Syndrome in the Classroom" the author gives an overview of what the disability is and what can be done in the classroom to assist students with this disorder. Those with Tourette Syndrome (TS) experience involuntary movements or sounds that are called tics (Coffman, 2012, p. 46). These behaviors can be fairly quiet and in some cases unnoticed by those around the student, such as flexing stomach muscles. Other tics may be more disruptive, such as shouting out sounds.
These tics may put a teacher on edge if he or she is not knowledgeable about TS. The first urge may be to reprimand the student for these behaviors, or to try and set up a behavior modification plan to change the behaviors. In this case it is important to know that the student is unable to stop the tics from happening. Anxiety may make tics worse. So it can be assumed that if a child is anxious that classmates will be uncomfortable with his or her tics, the tics may happen more frequently.
One strategy that teachers can use in the classroom is, when possible ignore the tics all together. If you lead your class by example the other students may not be bothered by a behavior that the teacher does not seem bothered by. Arranging the classroom with your student with TS in mind may benefit everyone. A good place for a student with TS is in the back or side of the classroom where he or she can have more space. Without a classmate behind him or her, the tics may be less problematic to other students. It is also helpful to give fewer prompts to a student with TS. A student may have better results if he or she has a visual cue, such as a sticky note on his or her desk to reference. That way when the tic has subsided there is a prompt the student can follow without the teacher intervening (Coffman, 2012, p. 49).
It is interesting to note that one thing that may help a student with TS is the use of visual cues. While we discussed this when talking about Autism, it is clearly a strategy that has many uses. It is also interesting to note that some of the tics students may have can be similar to behaviors children with emotional or behavioral disabilities also have. While the behaviors are similar, they definitely need to be handled in a different way. A child with TS would love to stop his or her tics, but they do not have that ability.
This article gave good advice on what TS is, and how you can try to handle behaviors in the classroom. While it certainly was not trying to give a deep analysis of TS and what it means in the classroom, it did offer simple tools for a teacher to use. I would recommend this article to someone as a first stop when learning a student has TS because it does not give an overabundance of information. Instead it gives a solid foundation of information in which to build on.
Coffman, A., (2012). Tourette syndrome in the classroom. Educational Leadership, 70(2), 46-49.
These tics may put a teacher on edge if he or she is not knowledgeable about TS. The first urge may be to reprimand the student for these behaviors, or to try and set up a behavior modification plan to change the behaviors. In this case it is important to know that the student is unable to stop the tics from happening. Anxiety may make tics worse. So it can be assumed that if a child is anxious that classmates will be uncomfortable with his or her tics, the tics may happen more frequently.
One strategy that teachers can use in the classroom is, when possible ignore the tics all together. If you lead your class by example the other students may not be bothered by a behavior that the teacher does not seem bothered by. Arranging the classroom with your student with TS in mind may benefit everyone. A good place for a student with TS is in the back or side of the classroom where he or she can have more space. Without a classmate behind him or her, the tics may be less problematic to other students. It is also helpful to give fewer prompts to a student with TS. A student may have better results if he or she has a visual cue, such as a sticky note on his or her desk to reference. That way when the tic has subsided there is a prompt the student can follow without the teacher intervening (Coffman, 2012, p. 49).
It is interesting to note that one thing that may help a student with TS is the use of visual cues. While we discussed this when talking about Autism, it is clearly a strategy that has many uses. It is also interesting to note that some of the tics students may have can be similar to behaviors children with emotional or behavioral disabilities also have. While the behaviors are similar, they definitely need to be handled in a different way. A child with TS would love to stop his or her tics, but they do not have that ability.
This article gave good advice on what TS is, and how you can try to handle behaviors in the classroom. While it certainly was not trying to give a deep analysis of TS and what it means in the classroom, it did offer simple tools for a teacher to use. I would recommend this article to someone as a first stop when learning a student has TS because it does not give an overabundance of information. Instead it gives a solid foundation of information in which to build on.
Coffman, A., (2012). Tourette syndrome in the classroom. Educational Leadership, 70(2), 46-49.
I do not have experience with students with TS. I feel like this article would provide some useful tools if I every have a child like this in my class. It is good to know that anxiety might make the tics worse. It would be interesting to observe a student with Tourette's and see what other strategies teachers find useful.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting topic. As most disorders go, not bringing outward attention to the student is or should be understood. Having more information on how to accommodate a student with TS is important. There are so many semi-rare conditions that we don't come across every day or year in the classroom so usually we educate ourselves when they arise.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article summary. I myself do not have experience working with someone who has Tourette syndrome. This summary provided a few simple strategies to consider when working with someone, and also gave insight of how strategies for students with other disabilities can also work for students with Tourette syndrome.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I had a student with TS was when I taught undergrad at Trinity. This particular student wanted each professor to address his TS on the first day of class. I think this is a great connection to what many commented in their stuttering reflection--its so important to know your students and to build relationships with them so you can work with them individually.
ReplyDelete