If your teens are looking for an opportunity to meet and socialize with other TS teens, the Missouri TSA chapter is hosting a teen pizza night on Saturday, December 10, from 7 to 9 p.m., at J.J. Twigs Pizza, 2964 Dougherty Ferry Rd. (at Dougherty Ferry and Big Bend) in St. Louis County.

Food and soft drinks will be covered by our chapter. Parents can either drop off their teenage children, or stay and visit with each other.

If interested, please contact Lynn Dunlap at lmchd52@gmail.com by or before December 8. We hope to see you there.

You’re invited to join us at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 25, at Mercy Hospital (615 S. New Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO 63141) in the dePazzi Bentley Room, Doctors Medical Building, accessbile through the vonGontard Conference Center doors between Towers A & B. The room is to the left.

Our speaker will be Dr. Matthew Worth, a nationally recognized chiropractic neurologist. He will address how the brain functions in children with Tourette, ADHD, Autism, and learning disorders. He will also speak to the services available at the new West County Midwest Institute for Neurological Development (MIND), which is the only brain-based treatment/educational center in the Midwest dedicated to the evaluation and management of neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Also, we will be trying something new at this meeting, offering a Lego Club gathering for kids. Activities will include cooperative play with Lego’s and interactive social-skills games. If your children would be interested in some fun and social time with other TS kids, please bring them along.

Tourette Syndrome families are invited to join us Sunday, Sept. 25, from 2 to 5 p.m., for pizza and fun activities, as we gather again to start the new school year.

There will be opportunities for kids to get to know one another and parents to network. New teacher packets will also be available.

This event will be held at Destiny Church, 1809 Des Peres Road in St. Louis County, just off of I-270, between Clayton and Manchester Roads.

We hope to see you there.

Here’s your chance to meet and mingle with Brad Cohen, a nationally recognized educator, award-winning author, motivational speaker and subject of the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Front of the Class.

Brad will host a fundraiser in the St. Louis area to benefit his foundation on Saturday evening, September 3 at Cardwell’s in Clayton. The event will feature a presentation by Brad, entertainment by magician Rick Silver, a silent auction, raffles, hors d’oeuvres and dessert stations. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your tickets today.

More information is available here.

Mothers, grandmothers, aunts, friends, and other members of the support-network for TS families are invited to just us for a “Girl’s Night Out” on Monday, April 25. It will be an informal evening of support and fellowship. Bring a dessert to share and coffee, tea, or soda.

We’ll gather starting at 7 p.m. in the Gillis Board Room at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, 615 S. New Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO 63141. We hope to see you there.

Join us at 7 p.m., Monday, March 28, to hear from a panel of experts about how you can help your TS child advance to the next stage of school and life.

The meeting will be held at our usual location, in the Gillis Board Room at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, 615 S. New Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO 63141.

Topics will include the transition from elementary to middle school; from middle school to high school; and from high school to college. Our confirmed speakers are: Alice Hein and Mary Beth Graefe, both middle school counselors; JoAnn Noll, parent educator for the St. Louis County Special School District; and Lindi Mullins, access specialist for St. Louis Community Colleges.

At our February 28 meeting, we will be viewing videos of presentations from last year’s National Tourette Syndrome Association Conference. The topics include “Organization and Executive Function” and “Bullying.”

The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. in the Gillis Board Room at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, 615 S. New Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO 63141.

We hope to see you there.

Our next event for TS children and their families will be held Sun., Jan. 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the lower level of Destiny Church (1809 Des Peres Road, St. Louis, MO 63131-1407).

St. Louis native Marc Elliott will spend time with our group. Marc was born with a rare disease that left him with virtually no intestines. Then, at age nine, he was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. He now inspires audiences across the country with his life story and words of advice on tolerance and perseverance in the face of adversity. Marc graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and now lives in Boston.

Pizza and beverages will be provided and our group will have access to the gym for shooting hoops and other activities.

This event is free of charge, however, please RSVP by Jan. 14 to Maureen Downey (modowney1@sbcglobal.net) with the number of people attending from your family.

Our next meeting will be held Mon., Oct. 25, starting at 7 p.m. in the Gillis Board Room at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center (615 S. New Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO 63141).

Following our well-attended September Students’ Panel, we are bringing back the very popular “Ask the Doctor/Ask the Pharmacist/Ask the Educator” Panel. This year’s panel will feature Maureen Downey, a TS parent and pharmacist; Lynn Dunlap, a TS parent, former special-education teacher, and currently a psychological examiner with the St. Louis County Special School District (SSD); and Nanette Ford, a speech and language pathologist for SSD.

Bring your questions and concerns to this special session — and ask friends, family members, and teachers to join you.