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What having Tourette’s is like

By Noa Strauss, age 13 | August 1, 2017

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SURPASSING STEREOTYPES Noa Strauss, a rising eighth grader at The Emery/Weiner School, shares an excerpt of a speech she read at the middle school’s Kallah program about what it’s like to have Tourette’s Syndrome.

When you look at me, what do you see? A 13 year old with frizzy red hair and sunburned skin. I like sports and work hard in school. But do you know about my Tourette’s?

One evening I overheard an adult jokingly make a comment about someone else, saying, “It’s not like that girl has Tourette’s or something and cusses all the time.” My world froze! The worst stereotypes came crashing into reality.

Not everyone understands Tourette’s – and I need to educate you so this won’t happen to anyone else. Luckily, I’ve never been bullied, but many kids with Tourette’s are.

Tourette’s Syndrome is a neurological disorder, which often begins between ages 2 and 21. Mine was diagnosed at age 5 and probably will last a lifetime, but less complicated cases can get better as the person matures. Many people have “habits” known as tics. To be diagnosed with Tourette’s, you must have multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic that lasts for at least a year.

Tourette’s can range from mild to complex, where it’s hard for a person to perform basic tasks without constantly ticking. What does a tic feel like? It’s almost like when you have an itch. It’s bothering you, and the longer you wait the more urgent it gets. You just have to do it, and once you do it’s a HUGE sigh of relief. Yes! I scratched the itch, phew.

I’ve made huge progress with my Tourette’s, and many classmates have never seen or heard any of my tics. When I was younger, my parents and I worked with therapists on techniques to control my anxiety, ADHD and OCD, which are common in people with Tourette’s.

You may have seen Tourette’s stereotyped on movies as a person who shouts out bad words uncontrollably. This is called “Coprolalia.” Only a very small percentage of people with Tourette’s have this disorder. However, it seems to be the most widely portrayed.

As Rabbi Hillel taught, “Don’t do to others what you would not want them to do to you.” This reminds us that no matter people’s differences, you should treat others well if you want to be treated the same way.

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