SOMERVILLE, NJ – The Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey (TSANJ) has announced the dates for the continuing series of 2005/2006 Support Group Workshop Sessions for individuals, family, and friends of those impacted by Tourette Syndrome (TS). Run in conjunction with nine affiliated hospitals across the state, the facilitated Support Groups educate participants on a variety of TS-related issues and provide an opportunity to exchange information and problem-solve.
Parents, teachers, and medical professionals are invited to attend. Call TSANJ at 908-575-7350 for details and directions. There is no charge to attend.
Mercer County Family Support Group
RWJ Hamilton Conference Center, 3100 Quakerbridge Road, Mercerville, NJ
Thursday evenings from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
January 19, 2006 Stan Vitello, Ph. D. Prof Special Education and Law “Changes in IDEA”
Stanley J. Vitello, Ph.D (University of Connecticut) and J.D. (Villanova Law School) is a professor of special education and law at Rutgers University, the Graduate School of Education. As a Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Public Policy Fellow, he served on the Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy where he worked on the 1990 IDEA re-authorization. Dr. Vitello writes about special education and disability law and advises school districts and parents on special education law and serves as a mediator
March 16, 2006 Stephanie Glaser, Educational Advocate “Understanding IEP’s”
May 18, 2006
Cancellation of support group meetings due to weather will be posted to the website at www.tsanj.org. Contact us at 908-575-7350 or www.njtsa.org for driving directions and the latest speaker updates and additions.
BACKGROUNDER:
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is an inherited neurological disorder that is manifested in involuntary physical and vocal tics. Symptoms generally appear before an individual is 18 years old. TS affects people of all ethnic groups with males affected 3 to 4 times more frequently than females. It is estimated that 200,000 Americans have full blown TS and that as many as 1 in 200 show a partial expression of the disorder. There is no cure for TS.
The mission of TSANJ is to support the needs of families with TS, to advocate for individuals with TS, and to educate the public and professionals on TS. TSANJ has a membership of 2,500 families and medical professionals. The organization relies completely on its membership, corporations, government, and foundations to fund its mission.
Currently TSANJ operates 9 support groups at regional medical centers across New Jersey; conducts awareness training for teachers, school nurses, students and community leaders; manages a TS help line for disseminating information about TS to parents, teachers, doctors, and others; sponsors a state-wide Family Contact Program; and works with Rutgers University at the nation’s only student clinician TS clinic, developing support programs and treatments for families dealing with TS.
TSANJ is collaborating with UMDNJ Medical Schools and Rutgers University to create a New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders (NJCTS). The NJ Center will offer a much-needed diagnosis and treatment resource for the thousands of New Jersey families with TS. In addition to serving the medical and psychological needs of TS families, the Center will become a resource for TS patients and families willing to participate in controlled research studies into the causes and effective treatments of TS and associated disorders.