[Katrina]

Hmmm…being Tourettic myself, I have to say that it definitely does not cause skipping classes. The swearing however, may be another story. He may exhibit Coprolalia, which is uncontrolled and generally very unnatural sounding swearing. It may sound forced or similar to any other vocal tic, or come up in a completely random place. But if he is using it as an excuse to naturally pepper his language as he wishes, in the manner of anyone else and in defience of rules, then that’s certainly wrong on his part, and only promoting a stereotype that Tourettics have to work hard to combat…the idea that Tourette’s = Uncontrolled swearing. On the other hand, he may have other things going on, and is using this as an excuse, something to hide behind…it’s something people can see and they may go ‘oh, okay’ when he is using it as an excuse for his behaviour (such as skipping classes), especially adults. It may protect him from revealing what is really up. I never got special treatment, I never wanted it even if people encouraged me to seek it. I didn’t want pity or anything, I just wanted left alone and not made to feel like more of a freak than I already did. But I can understand the desire to try to get positive attention in this way, especially in Junior High, which is a tough time for anyone who is perceived as different. Kids who twitch and jerk uncontrollably and grunt and grimace are certainly seen as different. Someone needs to be paying attention to this kid, REAL attention, to see what is really up for him. Then if he just has a bad attitude, that should be dealt with. If there is more beneath the surface, then that should as well. He can’t be helped if people are buying his story or are afraid to challenge it.

User Detail :  

Name : Katrina, Gender : F, Disability : Tourette's Syndrome, OCD, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 21, City : Moses Lake, State : WA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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