Teaching Students with Tourette's Disorder

As a teacher and adolescent mental health therapist, I spent over 15 years working with students with a variety of disorders. One of the most dramatic neurological/mental health disorders I encountered in working with this population was Tourette's disorder. Tourette's disorder is a very complicated disorder and treatment usually involves working with both mental health practitioners and neurologists. About 65% of students who have Tourette's disorder will have another diagnosis. Usually the other diagnosis is a condition such as: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, learning difficulties, trouble processing sensory information, depression and poor impulse control.

While research has advanced regarding Tourette's disorder, it is still often under diagnosed. In fact, most people are not diagnosed until after they (or those close to them) become aware of the disorder through the media. Scientific research has found Tourette's is linked to a single gene abnormality. This gene abnormality causes a person to have unusual dopamine and neurotransmitter functioning within their brain chemistry. Research has also found males to be more predisposed to Tourette's disorder than females.