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This page is dedicated
to my son mark
who has helped in the design
he is a sufferer of Tourettes and some of this page is about how tourettes has
affected him....
Mark was 15yrs old
when this page was first written, and he is interested in Football and wwe Wrestling.
His favourite football team is Manchester United and his favourite wrestler
was the Rock. His favourite footballer is David Beckham. And his favourite T.V
programmes are friends, The simpsons, Only Fools and Horses and Raw is War.
Mark has decided he would like to make some of his own comments....
Hello I am mark riley, and I have ADHD, TICS/TOURETTES & an ASD these conditions
are very stressful for me. I got diagnosed with these conditions on may 17th
2000, since then I have been taking clonidine for my conditions. These conditions
make me very sad and stressed, they also give me problems at school, one time
I had a confrontation with a teacher when I was walking past him, at the time
I had a bottle of water, which I need as medication makes my mouth dry and he
grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go as he wanted to take my bottle so I squirted
him in his face with my bottle. These are the types of things that can happen
because teachers don't understand these conditions.....(in 2005 Mark was also
diagnosed with O.C.D)
Tourettes Syndrome: Gets its name from Gilles De La Tourette a French Neurologist who first described the condition in 1884. Tourettes is a Tic Disorder which frequently changes the motor and vocal tic's involved, the onset is usually before the age of 21, with one or more vocal and varying in intensity over a period of months. Involuntary, rigid, motor movements affecting multiple muscle groups; and for a duration of a year or more. (However there have been rare cases of T.S, which have emerged after the age of 21)....
Some Tics involved:
Motor Tics; eye blinking and squinting, shoulder shrugging, head jerking,
neck jerking and grimacing. Vocal tics; humming, hissing, sniffing, coughing,
throat clearing, yelling, barking, grunting and belching. There are some T.S,
sufferers who have a tendancy to imitate what they have heard or seen. Imitating
what you have just heard is known as Echolalia. Imitating what you have just
seen is known as Echopraxia. Then there is Coprolalia which is an utterance
of foul and /or obscene gestures, please note however whilst this is probably
the most well known symptom of T.S, it affects only between 15 and 40% of sufferers....
People with T.S, also have compulsions and obsessions and have been known to be misdiagnosed as having O.C.D, and nervous habits. The symptoms of T.S, can be mild, moderate or severe and it is also thought that there is about 50% of T.S people who also have A.D.H.D, whilst some have both O.C.D, and A.D.H.D. Although T.S, was once thought to be rare, it is now becoming more relatively common affecting about one in every 2500. And is now believed to be a genetic disorder. Although not everyone who inherits the genetic vulnerabilities will show any symptoms; it is believed that about 99% of male gene carriers show symptoms and 1% don't, compared to 70% of females showing symptoms and 30% don't. (It is also now believed that signs of T.S, appear in Autism and Aspergers Syndrome). The biological basis for T.S. Is caused by an imbalance in neurotransmitters in the brain, the main one affected in T.S, is Dopamine, which controls movements. Also two more neurotransmitters that play a role in the condition are serotonin and norepinephrine...
Tourettes and School..
Due to the different symptoms with T.S, it is thought that about half of all
children with this disorder need special needs assistance in school. Tics often
disrupt a childs thoughts in lessons, and can lead other children in the class
to think the T.S, child very unusual and leave them isolated. It's important
to realise that they try and suppress the tics which can be as disruptive for
the child as this takes so much energy. Those who have A.D.H.D, have trouble
concentrating and with organising. With many T.S, children the educational problems
usually peak between 11yrs and 13yrs....
Treatment..
Whilst there is no cure for T.S, there are medications to help reduce the tics
involved and medications to help with the behavioural symptoms and should only
be discussed with a professional....
SOME BOOKS ON TOURETTES SYNDROME:
The first book gives
information on Gilles De Le Tourette, founder of the syndrome. Its a very informative
and very comprehensive book. Second book A book of questions and problems
that children with T.S have to face the bare facts.... Third book This
book is an autobiography about Adam and how he feels having T.S and A.D.H.D....
Fourth book A fictional tale of three boys with disabilities, who use magical
powers to cure themselves.... Fifth book Tourettes Syndrome, Tic's, Obsession's
Compulsions - are well illustrated in this book, with contributions from researches
associated with the Yale Child Study Centre. which describes all of the above.....
Sixth book This is another valuable book which covers coping strategies
for the T.S sufferer and their families on how to deal with living with the
condition. Ideal for the whole family an easy to read book without all the complicated
text.... Seventh book This book looks into learning, sleep pattern's,
behavioural and moods, which are all related to tourettes syndrome. Coping strategy
book.... And finally This book is to help children with Tourettes Syndrome,
on how to deal with the everyday life in school. An illustrated and easy to
follow childs book....
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