Schools within PA can receive free training on Tourette Syndrome for Educators and/or Peers:

Provided in-person or virtual, through a Department of Health grant, this training is provided by the PA Tourette Syndrome Alliance.

Educator Training:  Misunderstandings can occur and discipline can happen especially for symptoms of this complex condition. Educators need to fully understand this disorder so they can provide appropriate support and accommodations to the student in their classroom. This important training can help reduce discipline, increase access to education and create a supportive classroom environment with helps all students.

This training provides full review of TS symptoms and helpful accommodations that can assist the student. Presenters provide real-life examples of tics, symptoms and accommodations that have proven effective with other students. Educators leave with a better understanding of the frustration and struggles of their students with these disabilities. Providing this training helps to head off problems before they occur.

Training includes handouts and access to our online Tools. Training is 2 hours but a one-hour training can also be arranged. Training is Act 48 accredited.

Peer Training/Assembly:  Teasing and bullying can be a constant issue in our schools even when we do everything right! It is a fact that children with special needs are victims of bullying twice as often as typical children. For children with Tourette syndrome this is especially true. They can easily become the focus of teasing, ridicule and exclusion because they may have tics that are loud, distracting and even down-right rude. When the other children have no understanding of Tourette syndrome it is easy to conclude that the sufferer is making faces on purpose or shouting out to get attention.  

It is imperative that the other children understand that Tourette syndrome is a medical difference and causes them to say and do things that are out of their full control. When children are given a basic understand that Tourette syndrome is a medical condition, their reactions often change. They offer support, rush to their aide when others tease them, and often create friendships with these children rather than exclude them.  

This is where the PA Tourette Syndrome Alliance can help your school and the students with TS in your midst. We provide a free, age-appropriate training that gives the other students basic information on TS. This can be done for a classroom, grade level or the entire school.  This presentation is effective whether the child with TS wants to be included or if they wish to remain anonymous. We would be happy to discuss those options and how we make it work so the child is comfortable with whatever option they choose.

If you are in need of a peer training or an Educator Training either in-person or virtual, please reach out by calling 1-800-990-3300 or by email to sherrie@patsainc.org. We would be happy to work with you to help your students and staff get this important training.

Here are some comments regarding trainings provided by the PA Tourette Syndrome Alliance:

Supervisor of Special Education 

“...With TS being such an unknown disorder to the majority of people, it is crucial we have experts like the staff at PA-TSA to educate us about its etiology, its characteristics, and how it impacts a student’s life, especially in the schools.  The knowledge brought to us can be applied directly to our students living with TS in order to support and effectively teach each of them as valued & respected members of the school community.  The trainings have been a great asset to both adults and classmates over the years in which we have utilized PA- TSA." 

Guidance Counselor 

 “I am a school counselor working with an eighth-grade student who has Tourette Syndrome. In January of this year, she bravely agreed to participate in an assembly, with the help of the Alliance, to better educate her peers to what she goes through having this disability. (The Consultant) of the Alliance worked with the student to prepare her for the assembly. The presentation was a complete success and it has empowered the student to better deal with comments she may receive from other students. It was particularly impactful for the mother of the student who got to see her daughter as a strong young woman who could face her peers in a difficult situation. Students have been much more supportive of the student since the assembly."

Mother

"Prior to PATSA's intervention, Isaac was being bullied by his peers and repeatedly told to stop his tics, which were annoying others or perceived by his teachers as deliberately disruptive. The response to the in-services from the faculty, staff and students was overwhelmingly positive. Several of the children who had bullied Isaac in the past came up to him and personally apologized."

Thank you,

Sherrie Myers Wivell
Administrator/Consultant
PA Tourette Syndrome Alliance, Inc.
1-800-990-3300 ext. 2
www.patsainc.org