Greater Missouri TSA

Supporting Tourette Syndrome Families in the St. Louis and Kansas City Metro Areas and Beyond

December 22, 2009 • 12:47 pm 0

TSA Audio Presentation Focuses on School Administrators

Because administrators play a central role in defining the way their schools help children with Tourette Syndrome (TS) learn and thrive among their peers, the national TSA has added a new audio presentation to its Web site: “The School Administrator: What You Need to Know About Tourette Syndrome.”

This presentation offers information about what TS is and isn’t; how to recognize and manage the symptoms of TS; and what entitlements are involved with TS students. While this presentation is primarily directed to school administrators, it might also be of interest to educators, clinicians, families, and caregivers.

The material in this new resource is presented by Ellen Meyers, M.S., M.Ed., with the National TSA Education Committee. Ms. Meyers is a former high school assistant principal and district-wide director of special education. Her son has TS.

You can listen to the audio presentation from the Web or save the file to play on an iPod or other MP3 player. Also available for free download — from the same Web page as the audio presentation — is a PDF of the TSA publication, “The School Administrator: Ten Things to Know about Tourette Syndrome.”

Filed under: Tourette Syndrome and Education

December 12, 2009 • 11:56 am 0

Protecting Special-Needs Students

The Greater Missouri TSA is joining with other organizations to advocate for a change in state law that would prohibit the use of corporal punishment (spanking) on special needs students, including TS students.

This issue was brought to our attention by a Poplar Bluff family whose TS child was threatened with spanking in the sixth grade.

Missouri is one of the few remaining states that does not prohibit corporal punishment in its public schools. Instead, the state leaves the use of corporal punishment to the discretion of local school districts. However, the use of corporal punishment on special-needs students could have particularly damaging psychological effects and severely undermine educational progress for these students.

In addition to our organization, the Joshua Center for Neurological Disorders, Missouri NEA, Belle Center, and St. Louis Arc support this change in state law — and we are currently reaching out to other, similar organizations to ask for their support.

If you are affiliated with a special-needs advocacy organization, please ask them to join us in this effort. For more information, contact Missouri TSA Government Liaison Pete Abel.

Filed under: Tourette Syndrome and Public Policy

December 12, 2009 • 11:39 am 0

Become a Fan of TSA on Facebook

If you’re on Facebook, visit the National TSA Facebook page, become a fan, and stay informed about Tourette Syndrome news, events, publications, and other updates.

Filed under: Tourette Syndrome General Information