New Documentary on Tourette’s

TOURETTES UNCOVERED profiles four different children living with the burden and stigma of Tourette Syndrome. In this world-premiere hour-long special, Discovery Health follows Jaylen, Marques, Jonah and Colin and their families as they learn to cope with this mysterious and often misunderstood condition.

The documentary premiers Sept. 13, 2010 at 9 pm. Check your local cable provider for the Discovery Health Channel. “Tourette’s Uncovered” will also be replayed at 11:00 pm on September 13 and again on September 15 at 10:00 pm. You can check the TSA Facebook page for updates on future airings on Discovery Health and The Learning Channel (TLC) as well.

You can find more about the four children on TSA’s web site.

Back to School Tips

Looking for some tips on how to help your child get off to a good start this year? I’ve posted a series of tips over on the companion blog. Find tips on what to tell your child’s teacher, re-establishing sleep and wake-up routines, boosting homework compliance, clothing and lunch issues, and helping your child if they are anxious about getting lost in a new school. More tips to come!

Remember that the companion blog is interactive. You can add your own tips to share with other parents or ask a question or discuss any of the topics covered on the site.

Keep Current – See the TS+ Blog!

The main part of the web site is not interactive, but I’ve also created a companion blog, the Tourette Syndrome “Plus” Blog, where I post new research on the disorders covered on this site. I also post advocacy news in education, announcements of upcoming events, discussions of upcoming changes in the diagnostic criteria for the disorders, and controversies of interest to parents. Anyone can read the blog or get the news feed from the blog. If you’d like to comment on the blog, registration is free. Hope to see you there!

Find a Way of Make a Way

Checklists of Helpful Accommodations for Students with ADHD, Executive Dysfunctions, Mood Disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome, OCD and Other Neurological Challenges. Available from Parkaire Press.

If you need help preparing for a 504 or an IEP meeting, this guide with reproducible checklists may be just what you need.  In it, you will find checklists of accommodation strategies for tics, obsessions and compulsions, medication side effects, mood disorders, homework hassles, handwriting issues, etc.   Bring a copy to any team meeting so that the team can look at all of the ideas for each challenge and determine which ones to try for your child.

Challenging Kids, Challenged Teachers

A comprehensive guide for teachers and parents as to how disorders impact students and tips and tricks for classroom management. Available from Woodbine House.

For years, site visitors have urged me to compile a lot of practical information for parents and teachers in a book. Well, I have, and you can now buy an accommodation planning guide, Find a Way or Make a Way, or a more comprehensive guide to the neurological disorders discussed on this site, Challenging Kids, Challlenged Teachers. Challenging Kids, Challenged Teachers, co-authored by Sheryl K. Pruitt, M.Ed., ET/P.