As part of the first annual statewide Tourette Syndrome Awareness Week, April 23-29, the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome (NJCTS) presented lectures about TS and its associated disorders to college students who intend to be future educators on April 19 at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg and on April 26 at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Education in New Brunswick.
NJCTS Education Outreach Consultant Melissa Fowler, M.A., M.Ed, gave both in-service presentations. The lectures reviewed the symptoms of Tourette and its co-morbidities, talked about the implications of a diagnosis, addressed some of the early “red flags” of which an educator might want to be aware, provided a glimpse into what it might be like to have TS through a hands-on activity, and offered accommodations and strategies.
“The opportunity to provide a guest lecture at the university level allows us to target an important population. In this, we get a chance to speak with teachers-in-training and to prepare them before their formal practice begins for recognizing and accommodating the symptoms of TS and co-morbid disorders,” Fowler said. “In this way, we work toward creating a wide network of support and set the stage for success for the student with these disorders before he or she even walks through the door on the first day of school.”
Students who intend to become special educators and also those who intend to pursue other careers that support those who require special services attended the lecture at Raritan Valley Community College. At Rutgers, future educators from a variety of backgrounds – including special education, math and science – were in attendance.
For more information about the lectures and in-service presentations facilitated by NJCTS, please visit out website at www.njcts.org. To schedule a lecture or in-service presentation, please contact Melissa Fowler at mfowler@njcts.org.
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New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders, Inc.
Collaborative partnerships for the TS community.