Special TS Story fom Coppell, Texas

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Here’s a heartwarming story out of Coppell, Texas, where high school senior Andrew Nesbitt, who has TS, was given a unique opportunity to be part of his high school’s winning soccer team, for which he volunteers time as team manager.

You can view the news segment from the local CBS affiliate here.

Andrew said he will never forget this moment: “I felt like I was on the team and just like any other player. It was awesome!”

Congratulations to Andrew, his coach, friends and family, who don’t let his Tourette Syndrome stand in his way!

New Presentation: ‘Helpful Tips for IEP Meetings’

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The latest installment in the national TSA Education Committee’s information series is now available.

The new, 35-minute presentation — from Kathy Giordano, an education specialist with the national TSA — offers advice to parents and educators on how they can work together to develop an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that best addresses the unique needs of each TS student.

The current and prior installments in this series are available here.

Joshua Center St. Louis Conference

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Becky Ottinger, executive director of the Joshua Center for Neurological Disorders, and Mike Sumler, a counselor with that organization, will be the featured speakers at a one-day conference in the St. Louis area, March 10.

Check here for details.

The conference aims to help participants learn how to recognize symptoms associated with various neurological disorders and develop effective interventions, accommodations, and strategies for children with those disorders, including Asperger syndrome, Tourette syndrome, high-functoning autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, bipolar, and pervasive development disorder.

The conference will emphasize information and instruction for teachers; however, parents, guardians, grandparents, and other independent caregivers and healthcare professionals also stand to benefit.

Next Support Group Meeting

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Our next support group meeting in the St. Louis area is set for Feb. 22. Check here for details.

New Presentation: IEP’s and 504 Plans

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A new, 36-minute audio presentation with accompanying slides is now available from the National TSA, offering information and guidance to parents and teachers who are considering IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) and/or 504 Plans for students with Tourette Syndrome and related disorders.

For more information on prior installments in this presentation series, check here and here.

Help National TSA Secure $1 Million

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Your Facebook votes in the first round helped the National TSA place among the top 100 charities to receive $25,000.

Your votes are needed again — and this time, the organization that gets the most votes receives $1 million, with the next five vote-getters receiving $100,000.

Please vote today.

If you’re already a Facebook member, go here to vote — then scroll down to read the National TSA’s “Big Idea” for using the funds to help those affected by Tourette Syndrome across the country.

If you’re not yet a Facebook member, please join so you can vote for TSA.

Registration Open for TSA National Conference

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Online registration is now open for the 2010 National TSA Conference, April 15-18, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Chapter and support group leaders and volunteers, plus people of all ages with TS and their families, are encouraged to attend.

Check the conference overview page for more information about what will be offered. Updates to conference programming will be announced over the next several weeks.

Study to Explore Association Between Tics, Urges

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Faculty at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center are conducting an Internet-based survey designed to explore the association between tics in children and the presence or absence of an urge right before the tic.

This research study has been reviewed and approved by TSA’s National Medical Advisory Board.

A parent and child (7 to 17 years old) should work together on the survey, to come up with the best answer to each question. The survey should take around half an hour to complete.

To complete the survey, check here and follow the instructions.

Next Event: Skating, Broomball at Shaw Park Ice Rink

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The Greater Missouri Tourette Syndrome Association invites your family to join us at Clayton Shaw Park ice rink, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 17. Details available here.

TSA Audio Presentation Focuses on School Administrators

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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.”