Iowa TS Conference

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The Iowa TSA Support Group is holding a regional conference on Saturday, March 31 in Cedar Rapids, with special guest Susan Conners.Ms. Conners has more than 30 years of experience in education and more than 25 years of experience working with children with TS, OCD, and associated disorders. She has presented workshops on TS in 48 states, four countries and two languages. Her past work includes publishing brochures, producing videos, and developing curricula on TS and education subjects. She and a anumber of her family members have TS.

At the March 31 conference, she will discuss topics ranging from classroom strategies and accommodations to behavioral issues and functional behavioral assessments for TS children.

This event is sponsored by the Brad Cohen Tourette Foundation. There is no registration fee; the confernce is free to parents, educators, and medical professionals interested in learning more about TS. A limited number of reduced-rate hotel rooms are availble on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, email: lisa@itsasupportgroup.org.

Tourette Syndrome Camp Organization

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The Tourette Syndrome Camp Organization will be hosting a children’s program during the Tourette Syndrome Association National Conference on Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21, 2012, in Alexandria, Virginia.

The same organization will host its 19th Annual Tourette Syndrome Camp USA from Sunday, June 24, until Saturday, June 30, 2012, at YMCA Camp Duncan in Ingleside, Illinois.

For more information, including registration forms, follow this link for the National Conference program, and this link for the summer camp.

2012 National Conference

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The 2012 National Conference of the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) will be held April 19-22 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va.

Conference sessions will cover a variety of topics, including an update on TS-related research plus sessions on impulse control, treatment, and much more.

In addition to TSA chapter and support-group leaders, this conference is appropriate for individuals with TS, as well as families, eduators, volunteers, and others who help them.

Early bird registration is now open until February 1. Please follow this link for more information about the conference or click here to register.

New TS Education DVDs

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TSA’s newest educational resource is now available, free of charge. Filmed at a full-day, live presentation, “Tourette Syndrome in The Classroom, School & Community” features the TSA Education Committee addressing a wide range of related topics.

As the title suggests, the program is designed to inform teachers, school nurses, psychologists, social workers, clinicians, bus drivers, administrators, and others about TS and ways to recognize and address TS inside and outside the classroom.

There are 16 chapters on the two-disc set. Viewers have the choice of selecting individual chapters or watching the entire program in one sitting.

Parents may want to suggest that their children’s teachers watch the first chapter on the first disc, “An Introduction to Tourette Syndrome,” as well as the sections on ADHD and OCD, or other topics they deem appropriate.

This resource is made available through the professional education outreach partnership between the national Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

To obtain a free copy, while supplies last, follow this link. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery and observe the limit of one set per household.

December Event

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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.

TS Documentary Now Available Online

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“Different is the New Normal,” a film that demystifies Tourette Syndrome, is now available for online viewing.

This documentary chronicles the life of Ariel Small, a 16-year-old boy with Tourette Syndrome. It premiered last month on WNET in New York. We encourage you to contact your local PBS station and request that they air “Different is the New Normal,” so that it can reach a larger audience.

For additional information about this documentary, visit the TSA website.

October Meeting

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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.

September Meeting

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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.

An Evening of Cheers with Brad Cohen

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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.

Research Opportunities

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Two TS-related studies are being conducted by doctors at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Kevin Black is conducting a study with children between the ages of five and 17 who are experiencing a recent (past six months) onset of “tics” — repetitive, involuntary sounds or movements such as eye blinking, sniffing, abdominal tensing, or making small noises.

    The purpose of this study is to compare children who go on to develop Tourette Syndrome (TS) with those who do not. It is the same study as the one Dr. Black initiated last year, with two changes: The study previously considered children ages five to 14 (now five to 17) and defined “recent onset” as occurring in the past three months (now six months).

    Requirements include four visits over approximately 12 months, questionnaires, assessments, interviews, genetic testing (saliva sample), and MRI scan. Compensation is available.

In the second study, Dr. Black teams with Dr. Bradley Schlaggar to look at the way the brain works in people with Tourette Syndrome using brain imaging.

    This study is limited to children eight to 17 years of age who have Tourette Syndrome (chronic motor and/or vocal tics) and are able to safely have an MRI (e.g., no metal implants or braces).

    Requirements include a screening visit lasting up to 6 hours and an MRI visit lasting about 2 hours. Volunteers will be compensated for their time and effort: $50 for the screening visit and $25 for the MRI scanning.

Parental permission is required for both studies. For more information, contact the studies coordinator, Mary, at 314-362-7651.