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Information
Section: Conditions
Condition:
Tourette's
Syndrome
Article: Tic Sensitivity
and Awareness Exercise for Parents
Source: Leslie E. Packer,
PhD
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Article
Page 1
of 1
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AWARENESS EXERCISE 1
FOR PARENTS
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Exercise
1
As you read the
text in the box below, frequently jerk your head
back hard and fast. Try to do the head jerk in
bursts -- like two or three rapid jerks. Wait a few
seconds, and do another hard, fast head jerk, or
another burst. Do it frequently throughout your
effort to read the material. If you have a physical
condition that prevents you from jerking your head
back hard, do the exercise the same way but instead
of jerking your head back hard and fast, roll your
eyes severely to one side. Do the eye roll "tic" in
bursts, and do it frequently.
OK,
begin:
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Dear Mom and
Dad,
Thanks
for taking the time to try to experience
what I feel when I'm trying to read or do
my work. It isn't easy, is it? Sometimes I
feel like you are impatient with me
because it takes me longer to do things,
but I really am trying as hard as I
can.
I
really love you both and don't want to
embarrass you with your friends or when
we're all out together, but I can't seem
to stop the movements or sounds. Please
understand. I'm just a kid and I don't
understand this any more than you
do.
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How did you do?
Did you experience interference in trying to read?
Did you get dizzy or nauseous at all? Did you feel
frustrated? If you were your child and trying to
read, might you get fatigued or irritable after a
while? Would you give up? Remember that you were
only asked to read a few sentences.
Tics of the
eyes, head, and neck are the most common tics.
Allow extra time for activities where tics might
interfere. Give your child opportunities to get up
and move around to release tics if they need to and
if it helps. If your child is older, work
collaboratively with them to help them to learn to
manage tics that might be socially problematic
(such as spitting). Help your child accept that
they have tics but don't make the tics the central
part of their lives.
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AWARENESS EXERCISE 2
FOR PARENTS
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You will RealPlayer
or some program capable of playing a .wav file to
do this exercise. Please adjust the volume on your
computer speakers to a comfortable level.
When you click on the
link below, you will hear a public service
announcement from a national organization. The
announcement was recorded in 2000. As you listen to
the recorded announcement, you will again have
bursts of tics, but this time, you will have a
vocal tic and will have to yell out, "hooo-boy" in
bouts (e.g., repeat "hooo-boy" three times, wait a
few seconds, and then do it a few times, wait a few
seconds and do it twice, etc.).
OK, when you're
ready to start, click
this link.
So how did you
do with this one? Were you able to
listen and to process what you were hearing while
you were ticcing? How did your vocal tic affect
you, and how might your child's vocal tics be
affecting him or her?
Feel free to
share this exercise with other parents if you think
it will help increase their
awareness.
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Information
Section: Conditions
Condition:
Tourette's
Syndrome
Article: Tic Sensitivity
and Awareness Exercise for Parents
Source: Leslie E. Packer,
PhD
|
Article
Page 1
of 1
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|
Tourette
Syndrome "Plus" © Copyright 1998 - 2005 Leslie
E. Packer, PhD. except as noted.
All rights reserved
This page last updated January 7, 2005.
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