For this Neuronote I wanted to watch
something that I didn’t know much about so I could actually learn something and
grow from it. I was going through a few Ted Talks and came acorss one that was
about a young girl who has Tourette’s. The Ted Talk was titled “I have Tourette’s,
get over it”, and was performed by Analise and her mother Robyn. Analise was
always different growing up and her mother was constantly told that something
was wrong with her daughter. After at first being diagnosed with OCD and ADHD
Analise was finally given the diagnoses of Tourette syndrome (TS). Tourette
syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped,
involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. The early symptoms of
TS are typically noticed first in childhood, with the average onset between the
ages of 3 and 9 years. TS occurs in people from all ethnic groups; males are
affected about three to four times more often than females. It is estimated
that 200,000 Americans have the most severe form of TS, and as many as one in
100 exhibit milder and less complex symptoms such as chronic motor or vocal
tics. Although TS can be a chronic condition with symptoms lasting a lifetime,
most people with the condition experience their worst tic symptoms in their
early teens, with improvement occurring in the late teens and continuing into
adulthood.
Analise has lived a very hard life
up to this point. She explains that she doesn’t view herself as different until
those around her began making it apparent to her that she was. She talks about
how she gets bullied in school because of the disorder and how sometimes she is
so exhausted from her tics that she isn’t even able to attend school. I never
realized just how much tourette’s varies from one person to the next or what
all the disorder actually entails. After watching this video I watched about
three other Ted Talks done by individuals with Tourette’s, each of their
stories were so moving and emotional for me. Just trying to put myself in their
shoes and imagine a day in their lives moves me to tears. It really made me put
my struggles into perspective and really makes me want to find the good in
everything that may seem bad. I’m so glad that I decided to watch Analise’s
video and learn more about what life is truly like with Tourette’s, and I also
hope that in the near future more work is done towards fighting and treating
this disorder so that those who have it can live with a better quality of life. If you don't know much about Tourette's Syndrome I urge you to do a little research, I personally thought I knew some of the basics but I was very wrong!
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