by Eric Song, NJCTS Youth Council, Millburn High School
One of the most challenging environments for kids with Tourette Syndrome (TS) is the classroom, especially for younger kids. Symptoms may vary between people, but the struggle to maintain composure and the process of learning how to seek accommodation can be difficult for students. However, one of the most important elements of success in school for TS affected kids is their teacher, especially for elementary aged children, who will spend most of their time with only one. For these teachers, the responsibility that comes with learning to adjust for a student with TS can be daunting, and may pose a great challenge to their teaching ability.
For Mrs. Hooks, of Enders Road Elementary School in Manlius, New York, my TS symptoms were that challenge. In September of my 3rd grade year, I began to experience my first tics. Screaming, constantly hitting the side of my face, and slamming my head against desks were commonplace in the classroom for me, a new student who had just transferred to the district. Learning to accommodate for me was going to be difficult, but it was nothing too challenging for Mrs. Hooks. Through her careful planning and diligent observance, she made my experience at Enders Road an incredible one– one in which I never felt isolated or alienated from my peers. At the time, I was too young to understand just how great of a service she had provided me, but earlier this year in April, I finally had the chance to thank her. Curious about her experience from the perspective of a teacher, I reached out to her to set up an interview. To my excitement (and hers!), she was happy to speak with me! In this post I’d like to share her thoughts, strategies, and observations from her journey adjusting for a student with Tourette Syndrome.
I’d like to start off discussing some of the general things that Mrs. Hooks noticed about tics. She was open in sharing that when she first observed my symptoms they were “very impulsive and consistent.” She had never had a student with TS before, but had heard of the disorder, so had a vague idea of what it was. According to her observations, symptoms always seemed to be heightened during activities that were quiet, individualized, and required sitting still. The opposite was also true, with symptoms generally being lower during group activities, unstructured blocks of time, and environments with lots of noise. She also noted that symptoms seemed to be more aggressive in the morning, and calmer in the afternoon.
To deal with my symptoms, which could often be very disruptive in the classroom, Mrs. Hooks used a variety of different tactics. One of the most important tactics she used (and the one that she would most highly recommend to other teachers) was taking daily notes about my symptom expression. She would tally the number of tics I had throughout the day, and also noted the specific time and type of activity in which they occurred. The daily tallies ranged in count between around ten to sometimes within the hundreds! The importance of this method was that it allowed her to determine patterns of when my symptoms would be the most aggressive so that she could be prepared for it.
To help alleviate symptoms during periods of quiet individual activities, Mrs. Hooks also allowed me to use a standing desk. The thought process behind this being that it would allow me to move around more and thus get my energy out. However, when my symptoms became extremely aggressive, Mrs. Hooks would employ the tactic of giving me a task to do, like delivering a note to the main office. A testament to her intellect, I think that this tactic is super
smart and creative, as it helped to alleviate disruptions in the classroom and while also serving to get my energy out at the same time.
Another very important part of Mrs. Hooks’ strategy was establishing strong lines of communication. When she first noticed my tics, she immediately reached out to colleagues, counselors, and my parents to learn more about the nature of my condition. Continuing throughout the school year, Mrs. Hooks maintained consistent contact with my parents, updating them about my symptoms in the classroom and also inquiring as to what my symptoms looked like at home. She would send them her tallies and notes about my tics from each school day as well.
Communication is mutually-beneficial! Younger kids usually spend most of their time at school and within the presence of their parents, so an open line of contact between the school and the home allows for very accurate tracking of what symptoms look like, and how they may change between environments or over time. Communication with the school’s counselor was also very important for Mrs. Hooks, with the two working closely on developing tactics for the classroom and figuring out the best way to educate the class about my disorder.
But how exactly do you explain what TS is to a class of young children? I thought Mrs. Hooks’ approach was quite fascinating. She first established some goals: to encourage compassion and empathy within the classroom. It was especially important to her to make the point that despite my symptoms, I was still a person who deserved acceptance just like the rest of my peers. She then chose a day when I was absent to talk to the class about my condition. Interestingly, she never directly referred to my condition as Tourette Syndrome or TS, instead just explaining that my ‘tics’ were something that I could not control. I thought this approach was intriguing because perhaps it might be a better way to explain TS or at least tics to younger students by keeping it as a simpler concept for them to understand. But of course for older students using the phrase Tourette Syndrome shouldn’t be an issue.
To her credit, Mrs. Hooks’ explanation worked very well! I made lots of friends during that school year and as she noted, the class was “very accepting and supportive.” She even made it clear that any student who was bothered by my symptoms was allowed to voice their concerns with her privately, though she noted that nobody ever felt the need to do so.
At the end of the interview I asked her: Was there something that you wish you could have had differently if you had to go through it again? She responded with, “I would have loved to have had the support of someone who had a similar experience; that would have been great.” I hope that this post may serve as that support for other educators who may at one time or another, need help with supporting a student with TS. I believe that Mrs. Hooks’ perspective as a teacher is incredibly valuable, and that she handled a difficult situation very well. Hopefully, sharing her experiences may help better ensure that each and every TS affected student is getting the proper accommodation for their condition.
