Tourette Syndrome Research Paper

In "A Plague of Tics," David Sedaris's describes his life from childhood to adulthood. He suffers from OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder). Sedaris writes, "If I were to lose count of my steps, I'd have to return to school and begin again" (360). This showcases the extreme case of Sedaris's OCD; that if he does not make his route absolutely perfect, he won't be able to find peace. His compulsive routine as a young child included his unsettling "tics", which he had little to no control over. "It never fails to amaze me that people might notice these things. Because my actions were so intensely private, I had always assumed they were somewhat invisible" (Sedaris 362). Ironically, Sedaris refers to his "tics" as actions that were private

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a familial neurological disorder of variable expression that is characterized by recurrent involuntary tics involving body movements and vocalizations. The disorder is named after Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, the pioneering French neurologist who in 1885 first described the condition in an 86 year old French noblewoman.

Knowing the condition, give Brad a new reason to life. He explored and experienced with different coping options to deal with Tourette’s. Since there is no cure to control the tics, Brad would bite on a pen or chew gum to help him focus less stresses and more on a task. Brad would take varies medicines to decrease the episodes of tics he would receive, but the side effects such as weight gain and drowsiness affected him. Not to mention, every time Brad wanted to go to the movies he would go during times where it wasn’t crowded which was in the earlier morning or late in the night. Even throughout junior and high school year, Brad was always part of sports, which help him as well to release all of the energy he had.

In “Hystories: Hysterical Epidemics and Modern Media” by Elaine Showalter, she writes that Jean-Martin Charcot, who was also known as "the founder of modern neurology", stated that hysteria was determined by hereditary determinants. By researching

Tourette’s syndrome is a disorder that makes its host produce unwanted movement and/or sound. The condition may contain one or both symptoms. Tourette's disorder is an issue with the sensory system that causes individuals to make sudden developments or sounds, called tics, that is beyond the hosts control. The disorder is named for the pioneer in French neurosurgery, Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, when he discovered it in a French citizen in 1885. The symptoms for Tourette's syndrome are first seen in early childhood between the ages of 3 and 9 years of age. The disorder is not limited to one ethnic group. Men are 3 to 4 times

1. What is the name of your movie and what year was it made? Synopsize the movie plot, etc The name of the movie I chose for the assignment is Phoebe in Wonderland. This movie is about a nine year-old girl named Phoebe Lichten who is obsessed with Alice in Wonderland, and as a result, joins her school’s theater production of the Lewis Carrol novel, playing the lead of Alice.

Barking, convulsive tics, grimacing, swearing-- Imagine having frequent involuntary urges of mimicry and repetition of abrupt behaviors. These traits are often associated with Tourette Syndrome, a neurological disorder that researchers believe is caused by and abnormal metabolism of the neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin. It is genetically transmitted from parent to child. There is a fifty percent chance of passing the gene on from parent to child. It’s one of the more common genetic diseases detected in one to ten children out of 1,000. The exact cause of Tourette’s syndrome is still unknown, some research suggests that it occurs when the neurotransmitters fail to balance within the brain. Readers question, how someone can go from tossing pots and pans, to being very precise as a highly recommended surgeon. Tourette’s Syndrome does not totally affect a persons life productivity, nor does it it result in an altered life expectancy. Populations not affected by this disorder, fail to understand how someone could suddenly exhibit such normality. Developing a further

Six tenths of a percent, That might not seem like a large amount of probability but to a person, or family that is affected by it, that percentage is very real. One may not turn their head to the statement of one in 160 children between the age of 5-17, which is the same as the statistic above, have or are diagnosed with tourette’s according to the Tourette Association of America. As of the 2010 Census, it is calculated that about 300,000 children in America have this syndrome. This may come to a surprise, yet a fair amount of the populations feelings toward this syndrome is one of comedic value. The diagnosed individuals may sound, or come across, as obnoxious, crude, or just looking for attention. The fact that many overlook is that they

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurodevelopmental condition that is identified by frequent and long lasting patterns of involuntary motor and vocal tics. (Capriotti, Conelea, Houghton, Woods, 2014) These motor and vocal tics can range from simple tics like, blinking and grunting, to severe tics such as word repeating and repetitive touching of objects. The onset age of Tourette’s syndrome is during childhood, typically when it carries on into adolescence the severity increases. (Capriotti et al., 2014)The underline cause of Tourette’s syndrome has yet to be determined though speculations have been made that structural and functional abnormalities in the brain contribute to the onset of this disorder as well as hereditable factors. (Capriotti et al.,2014)

In this world there have been causes of mass hysteria even back in the old days. In 1939 Mysterious girls were having cases of strange twitching making parents of the students curious. A big cause of hysteria was found in a case of a girl suffering in lack of attention. She was having sorts of insecurity and paranoia. For common people, twitching is a sign of nerve problem. But one case in Louisiana in 1939 involved numerous students suffering from twitching and all inflicted students were female. It began when one female student show sign of twitching in her right. It happened during an annual homecoming ball. Unfortunately, the twitching did not end up on that particular day, in fact, the twitching became worse as weeks went by. Following the incident, some of her fellow

“Deutsch (Deutsch, F) reached the conclusion that every person had a characteristic postural pattern which represented the response of his motor apparatus to unconscious psychologic complexes.”

Psychological therapies – psychological treatments can help alleviate the symptoms and problems of Tourette's syndrome. These include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This type of treatment is designed to help the child to recognize and control their tics.

3. Swain JE, Scahill L, Lombroso PJ, King RA, Leckman JF. Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders: A Decade of Progress. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2007;46(8):947-968. doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e318068fbcc.

In the middle ages, somatoform disorders were believed to be a spiritual disorder of evil and demonic possession, and in the 17th century, it was said that “hysteria could stimulate any medical disease. Freud explained the syndrome of hysteria as “conversion of emotional distress into physical symptoms” Kallivayalil, R. A., & Punnoose, V. P. (2010).

Why is teaching Social Communication important? Social Communication is the basis of how humans interact with each other. Without social skills, the ability to build relationships with others would not exist. Being a social outlet for children, school offers students a unique opportunity to practice their social skills, but for students who struggle, school can have a negative impact on their academic success (Ostmeyer and Scarpa, 2012). In School there is a presumed set of skills that students are required to learn and follow. Some of these skills that teachers find essential are listening to others, following steps, staying calm, taking responsibility for one’s behavior and doing nice things for others. To many, these skills may require a little thought, but to children with social deficits, these skills could be a continuous obstacle. “Thus, an environment that necessitates social communication as a method of learning could lead to academic underperformance” (Ostmeyer, Scarpa, 2012, pp. 933).