Info for School

[petb]

This is the info I printed and presented it to the teachers, principal, nurse and my sons reading teacher.

I would give info to anyone that your child deals with.

 

I met with each teacher and presented it in a nicely laminated booklet. It looks professional and that you mean business.

 

They all were so greatful. Tourette's is new to them too so this gave them a reference that they could turn to.

 

You can print the pages you feel relate to you.

 

http://www.buildasitefactory.com/index.php?id=1002

 

 

 

This is the booklet I gave to the teacher to read to the class the first day of school.

 

 

http://www.hbofamily.com/programs/whole_family/Tourette.pdf

 

 

 

This site has more printable info

 

http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/education.htm

 

Hope this helps you out.

PetB

[faith]

Thanks tons for taking the time to give that info. I have to go through it all. This is difficult, because we don't really have a formal diagnosis from a neurologist (or pediatrition) although we did see one last year. Medication was not suggested for his level of tics at that time. And since then I have been exploring this natural approach. I guess I'm afraid the school is going to frown upon this. I want them to understand that this is a viable approach, yet does take some time. I did explain this to the teacher in writing about a month ago using some suggestions from other members on this board.

 

I think the teacher may be looking for a way to deal with my son and his issues--I'm not sure if it's the noises or his work habits that are her main concern. When I went in to bring the cupcakes and sing happy birthday, I was there for 20 minutes, and he was great. I didn't see anything, just a little eye twitch or two while we were singing cause he was standing up and I guess he felt a little nervous being center of attention. The kids were so cute, all excitedly gathering around him for a photo.

 

Thanks again, I'll keep you all posted on what is next.

 

Faith

[Guest]

Hi Faith,

 

If the school frown's upon you choosing the natural route for your son rather than the medication route, that's their problem. It's not their choice of what treatments you choose for your son. I think she needs to learn to ignore his tics including vocals. There's a video out there called, "A Regular Kid, That's Me" for teachers. It does a really good job of explaining things, but it's explaining Tourette's & I don't know if you want that. It's from the National TSA. It's pretty old so maybe there's newer ones now. Do they think that your son needs extra help with school since you mention the school psychologist observing him?

 

Carolyn

[kim]

Faith,

 

I'm really hoping that you can come to a place where you don't feel intimidated or conflicted about dealing with the school on these issues.

 

Personally, I would have a problem with the "School Psychologist" observing my son. I would INSIST on a copy of any written documents that they may include in his file. I would want to know ANYTIME they were OBSERVING him, and exactly why.

 

Don't take anything for granted.

 

There are programs like this that scare the daylights out of me. Don't forget that there are people out there that are trying to justify their jobs. They are being fed info. that may be benefiting quarterly earnings, much more than your child.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_ev...n___normal_.htm

 

At what point does the government get to decide, when our kids should be medicated?

 

They are getting away with telling us that we have to inject our children with more and more toxins, to attend school, when will they determine that we have to medicated them, (for their own good of course).

 

When my 14 year old son was in 4th grade (his tics at that time included occasional flairs of head shaking, tennis shoe squeaking, and a short period of a very schrill vocal tics, that he would go out side, or in the bathroom to let out) they decided to circulate a "story" written by a child with TS. This was during a disabilities awarness week. The handout included a drawing of a little boy standing next to a tree, where he had carved the "F" word, and went on to explain that sometimes his TS caused him to say or do things that he shouldn't. It described quite a few things that my son had no idea about or experience with. I was FURIOUS. BTW this is an elementary school where 1 out of every 33 kids takes a medication at lunch hour. All are ADHD type drugs with the exception of 2, which are diabetes meds. As far as "bad words" go, if that's the case, there are far worse cases of TS at that school than my sons have ever had! I wonder how many kids went home and told their parents that they thought they had TS.

 

Please, make it perfectly clear, who is in charge in this situation. It's YOU.

 

I do want to say that the majority of my experience with the school in regards to tics, and missed time, has been positive.

Everyone has been supportive, and respectful of my opinions. I am not a confrontational person by nature, but I have gotten MUCH better at expressing myself in a way, that doesn't leave a lot of room for debate!

[Chemar]

well said Kim!!

[faith]

hi all,

You are all right, I do need to have more confidence and be able to assert my position. Its just that I feel like the cart is before the horse. Like I am doing what I'm doing, but its not fully out there on what I'm doing it for. As I said, we've not gotten a "formal" diagnosis, but I know what I'm dealing with. And my feeling is that somebody telling me what it is is not going to change exactly what is the situation. It is what it is. I feel like the teacher wants there to be a definitive thing to call it so she can deal with it. She is being very polite about it, but I feel like she's not hearing me when try to explain that yes, he seems to have a tic disorder and this is how we are dealing with it. Can they force me to obtain a medical evaluation or psychological evaluation? I mean for their purposes?

 

Carolyn, you asked it my son needs extra help in school. Well, the thing with him is (and I don't know if this is tied in to the tics meaning it is characteristic of TS) his work habits as they relate to time management are ... well, I don't even know what word to use. The complaints I get about him is that he never finishes any classwork in a timely fashion. Or anything, for that manner. It is the same at home. Its like he thinks there are 48 hrs. in a day. He must be shuffled along with everything. The funny thing is that he is not behind in any academic aspect. He reads on level, writes beautifully, understands the math, spells, displays artistic ability, etc. When she discussed this aspect with me earlier in the year at parent-teacher conference, she didn't know what to make of him. In spite of his lollygagging, his academics were not in question. Doesn't need extra help in any subject except HURRYING UP. Always the last to finish, even eating lunch. He is not slow moving, he doesn't stay focused on what he's doing. Always stopping to chat or pay attention to someone else's work, or what they are doing, or giggle if someone else is clowning. He stalls and procrastinates, but smiles happily as he's doing it. I always say "he's there for the party". He seems to be perfectly capable, but just doesn't apply himself. Immaturity? (did I mention he is an only child?).

 

So you can see why the teach is probably frustrated with all this--maybe she is using the tics as an excuse to see what's what. I too, think she should have told me she wanted the school psychologist to sit in before she did it. I don't know what the outcome of that was (I think it was an informal thing), she did mention "He seems to be able to control it at times, because of course, he didn't do it while she was in the room".

 

And yes, Kim, I hear what you are saying re the lesson on the child with TS -- my child doesn't even know there is such a thing. He doesn't even know the word "tics". We don't say that. He knows he does the stuff, but have never given it a name. HE needs to be filled in and educated on himself before the other kids do. I think that is why I'm so sketchy on this. If he wasn't making these noises, I'm sure the teacher wouldn't make an issue of a few facial twitches. When I was there for his birthday snack, he was like any other kid, no one would have been the wiser. When I asked how he was doing that day, she claimed he was blinking alot earlier. How could that be? I either see him doing it or not. You mean he just does it alot when he's with her? Yes, I know he has a vocal. And yes, he does blink or twitch his eyes, but that one has slowly gotten better and I only notice it once in a while. Lately that one is not frequent at all. So what is she talking about? I asked if he does it when she's like repremanding him (it not usually for any mischief, just to basically hustle) and she did say yes. I bet she's making him nervous. He always says she's mean. Honestly, I don't blame her, I know she has to get the lesson done, but maybe she does try to push him and he gets anxious. Who knows, maybe a meeting will let me explain my position and how I feel we should handle it all. I CAN do that, right? I think I'm just scared they're gonna tell ME what THEY want done. And I'll just cry in the corner.

 

We had a bunch of boys here today for a special "playtime" -- sort of an informal old fashioned home birthday party. So much fun. He loves his friends, his heart is so open to other kids. I just don't ever want this to be a detriment to him.

 

Faith

[faith]

Hi all, I just wanted to add to this because the school psychologist gave me a call at home today (we havn't had any meeting yet) to discuss if we could meet. Oh I want my mommy.

 

So, she seemed very nice (and young!) and thought we should meet to discuss my son's issues that the teacher was concerned about. The tics are one concern, but she is also concerned of the other issues (see my post above--it basically summed up what my son's work habits are). So I think they want to figure out if there is a way we can help him, in terms of possibly a IEP plan? I am not very familiar with these type things. I rambled away on the phone about what I was doing in terms of treating him and she was okay with that and explained that they were not there to tell me how to treat, just to figure out how we can make it better for him in school in terms of his educational needs. (She did say this would be an informal meeting between me, her and the teacher) Also, when I questioned, she did say that she was in the classroom just to informally observe at the request of the teacher, and has been there several other times for other kids too.

 

BUT...she did say that I would have to have a formal diagnosis in order to put something like that in place--I told her I had been to doctors about the tics, but "tourettes" was not exactly diagnosed--just that he did have tics. So, could anyone please guide me on how to go about this. I really didn't want to have to do that, but if it becomes necessary in order to deal with other issues he has regarding his learning, well, what did you all do? The biggest thing is that he's always last to finish work, he doesn't seem to focus on paying close attention--stops to do "other" things first, chats alot. (One time I peeked in the window of the lunchroom last year and he was sitting there happily chatting away to his cronies while his lunch sat unopened on the table--then when the monitor tells them to start clearing their tables, he's shoving it in his mouth and is the last guy sitting there). That is him. Consistently.

 

Does this sound like their child at all? Is this characteristic of TS? I'm wondering that they may think this is so. He's not hyperactive, and I don't believe he acts impulsive or has the criteria of ADHD. Can anyone who has a IEP plan or that 504 plan in place for their child, please tell me how that came about. Kim or Patty or C.P. or anyone else, does the school have that type of plan in place for you, and is the school aware of your child's issues? Cheri, I know you have been through this. I know you have all given me this info in the past, but am not sure if they were formally diagnosed and this is in their file. Is this always confidential? Carolyn, did you ever have any problems with attention when you were a child?

 

In talking to her, she was very polite and respectful, but I just want to make sure I'm not gonna just agree to what they want to do for him and rush into anything without knowing what I am doing. Like, what do I tell me son? He knows he has tics, but how is he going to feel about having a plan? She explained it that having these extra considerations, i.e. smaller setting, more time to do testing, may make him feel more at ease. Oh, I'm going on and on, I don't even know if I'm making any sense. But I think you all get the pic. Please help me with these questions. And if anyone has maybe a simple outline of things I should talk about or present to them, that would be great.

 

Thanks a bunch

Faith

[Guest]

Hi Faith,

 

I received an IEP plan at the end of my 7th grade year. The school was aware of my issues. The school psychologist is required to test the child for learning disabilities even though there likely may be none with children that have tics/tourette's. After the testing is complete, your child's teachers, the school psychologist, and you will get together for a meeting to go over the test results. If there were no learning disabilities, your son can get an IEP by being classified under other health impaired for Tourette Syndrome. I think to be classified under other health impaired, your son would have to have a formal diagnoses.

 

I was a child that didn't hardly talk at school, but was hyperactive at home. So the only reason that I had trouble completing work was because of the severity of my tics.

 

The information is supposed to be confidential. Having accommodations can make the world's difference! A smaller, quiet room and extra time for testing can make a huge difference in easing the anxiety, etc. There's so many small little things like those, using the computer to do work, taped books, smaller assignments, breaks, etc. that can help a lot. There's a very good book called, "Teaching the Tiger" written by Marilyn P., Ph.D. Dornbush & Sheryl K. Pruitt that discusses education of students with Tourette syndrome, ADD, and OCD.

 

I had some problems with attention as a child. When I'm low on zinc, it's still sometimes affects me. Zinc helps me to concentrate so much better.

 

Have you checked your son for Pyroluria? If your son has Pyroluria, extra zinc & b6 could make a difference in your son's attention issues.

 

In 8th grade, I went into the resource room(special education room) only for tests. In the middle of my 9th grade year, I was pulled from my English class. I was failing my English class at the time and disliked my teacher so much. I finished my high school English classes in the resource room and that was the best thing that could have ever taken place for me. I had such a negative outlook on school before being pulled from my English class (By the way, I had always loved school & got so excited each year for school to start.) However, I was lucky and got a great resource teacher who cared so much about me & gave me the extra attention I needed. I soon loved school again and didn't want to miss a day. I took 1 P.E. class and 1 math class in the resource room during my highschool years. Speech was waived for me as part of my IEP, and I'm so glad it was. I've taken speech in college and do just fine, but it would have been so hard on me in highschool with my then non-understanding classmates. IEP's can do many benefitial things. I'm not saying to have your son pulled out of class at all. I was just sharing my story. Each child is different and an IEP can help children succeed in school.

 

To this day, I still have accommodations in place. Several different accommodation of mine are sent to the teacher, but I only use like 2 out of 6 of them on an occasional basis. I rarely take tests in a separate room anymore, and the only tests that I need extra time on are math & essay type exams. Other than that the accommodations are basically a security blanket now. I want them there incase I would ever be struggling again and need them in place.

 

Carolyn

[patty]

Faith,

 

Correct me if i am wrong, i think your children is about 6 or 7. Your son doesn't sound untypical of this age group. I vounlteer in the classroom for the last couple of years, and i do notice somes boys tend not to stay on tasks and jump from task to task. Since your son is very capable in his academics, i am wondering if this is a maturity issue. I do notice boys have a harder time to concentrate like the girls do and they behave very different than the girls. The school standards seem to set everything at the girls' level, rather it be learning, skill set, behavior.... Personally, i feel that the school should recognize the boys VS girls learning & behavior differences or individual differences to help the child to reach their fullest potential. I believe a good teacher can make or break a child's love of school & learning.

 

Since your son has trouble with finishing things up, perhaps smaller task may be more suitable for him. Maybe he will be more motivated to finish his assignments on time when he feel less overwhelmed. I believe focus and concentration can be learned over time.

 

Good luck with the school administrator.

 

Patty

[kim]

Faith,

 

I'm wondering if you take tics totally out of the equation, would you still feel like your son needed any special accomadations?

 

I have to agree with Patty, about your sons distractability sounding so totally normal, for his age. I have a best friend who is a 4th grade teacher. I bet she would say, 1/2 of the boys in her class have the same patterns, and they're older.

 

We never had any special accomadations with the schools. My 10 year old has always been very self directed. I have never even kept track of his homework completion, gone over spelling words for the week with him, nothing. Until the 2nd half of this year. His grades have been falling, he has not met his AR goal (accelerated reading), missed the honor roll, and you know what? I'm not really concerned at all. Right now, he just has his mind on other things. His teacher says he's talking too much in class and has moved him several times. I am not relating this to anything other than being 10. His tics are very mild. He has really only had one period where he did anything very noticable in the tic dept. and that was head shaking. The mild shoulder shrugging, and extra facial movements, are something that I think I'm sensitive to, but I don't think others notice much, if at all. He tends to ear wiggle, and do, like, an involuntary smiley thing when he sits to watch TV. He will also make his eyes bigger and his eyebrows go up, sometimes. I don't think it's the screen, since he can play video games without extra movements (that was not always the case, but it was the older Nintendo game station, with more flashy, blinking, chasing type games). This seems to happen when he eats especially wheat, without taking his enzymes. He actually tested higher to milk, than wheat, but he gets more ticcy with wheat.

 

My older son, needed me to stay on top of his school work, and we used to arrrrgue. Sometimes he would intentionally spell a word back to me WRONG 10 times. Nope, it had nothing to do with OCD. He was trying to drive me insane

 

Now, he goes in his room and does his homework, grade are great, it's dreamy. He's in 8th grade this year. It's a total flip flop btwn him and his brother.

 

I did tell his teacher (I think it was 4th grade) if he was fidgety and he asked to take his work out in the hall, or asked for extra bathroom breaks or to go outside for air, to please allow it. That was about it.

 

My best advice is to just follow your instincts, and give him plenty of room to be a kid.

 

It is great, that the school seems to be so willing to work with you on any accomodations that you think might be helpful.

[faith]

Thanks girls for your advice. And for your insight on the "boy" behavior. I tend to agree since I talk to so many moms and we all moan and groan about the same type things. I distinctly got the impression that psychologist has been in the class to observe other (probably boys) since she kind of hinted at it. A number of them have been to my home to play and they are all the same; we moms have lots to talk about! I know the teacher is always phoning someone or another. I had to laugh about that spelling zinger, Kim, yea my guy gets a kick out of watching my temperature rise too!

 

Okay, I guess I'll have a better picture of this after I meet with them. This week the second graders are taking these terranova tests to see how they compare with the rest of the state or nation? I'm in agony wondering if his noise is up or down during the quiet time.

 

Faith