In 2022 we used Awareness Week to campaigned for the government to support teachers, aids and school by providing more training on conditions like Tourette Syndrome, so that schools can adequately support children with TS in the classroom. A great education is vital to ensuring a child has the tools they need for a successful life; children with TS should be entitled to the same educational opportunities as those without TS. Our research revealed children with Tourette Syndrome (TS) are at riskof reaching adulthood a step behind their peers due to interruptions to their education – all because of behaviours they cannot control. Close to half (44%) of people with Tourette’s got told o at school for tic-ing, with a third (33%) gettingsent out of class for being disruptive. Additionally, half (50%) of people with TS or their families feel they didn’t achieve the grades they were was capable of because of how their condition was managed at school. Concerningly, it also reveals more than a quarter (29%) of people with Tourette’s feel their school experience was traumatic. This disruption to education is of particular concern to parents and carers of those with TS who are worried their child might get left behind because of a lack of support and trainingfor teachers, aids and other school staff. Further, the research revealed two thirds (65%) of people in the TS community felt teachers or teacher aids are not trained in dealing with TS and a staggering 88% believed the government needs to provide funding to train teachers on TS. |
