We are PracTICally TICking to help people with Tourette’s.

 http://www.tourettes-action.org.uk/

Hello! I am Amelia and I am Advocating Tourette’s Action, a Charity that supports people who have Tourette’s syndrome. Thank you very much for taking an interest in my blog. I would like to let more people know about Tourette’s syndrome as it is quite a large issue involving the emotions of people with Tourette’s. You could support Tourette’s Action by making a donation or contacting them via their website to find out about one of their many venues’ that might be in your area. You may have guessed that one of the symptoms of Tourette’s is Tic’s. These Tics can be very embarrassing and can make the people feel like they are not welcomed in their society so supporting Tourette’s Action helps to make these people’s lives better. 

You should support Tourette’s Action because Tourette’s syndrome can cause the patient’s to feel left out and unwanted in their school, neighbourhood or place of work. Because of the nature of this inherited brain condition, Tourette’s, it can cause involuntary, movements, sounds and actions. One of the most commonly known forms of Tourette’s is coprolalia, this includes involuntary swearing. It is only present in approximately 10% of people with Tourette’s. It affects one schoolchild in every hundred and more than 300,000 children and adults in the UK, it starts in childhood and for about half of children with Tourette’s, the condition will continue into adulthood. For children this can be very stressful because they do not understand why they are doing these things.                                                                                                                                                        
The first tics often start around the head and face, like blinking and/or grimacing. Vocal tics tend to appear later, around age 11. The different symptoms can be simple, such as blinking, or complex, like touching or jumping. Examples of vocal tics besides uttering words or making sounds are throat clearing, sniffing and/or coughing.

Even within the same person, the tics vary in many ways:
- they wax and wane; they get better and worse over time
- they change; one tic stops and another starts
- they may be made worse by stress and anxiety
- they may be alleviated with relaxation or concentration on an absorbing task

These changes are completely unpredictable. However, just before a tic is about to happen it is common to experience so called premonitory sensations. These sensations can be either localised - in the area where the tic is about to happen - or generalised. It is often very difficult, even for family, friends, teachers and employers of a person with Tourette’s, to believe that their actions or vocal utterances are involuntary, but they are. Most often people with Tourette’s also suffer from over disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Some Tourette’s Tics may not be very obvious however we do understand that it is an inherited condition.

So one day someone you know could have Tourette’s.

Thank you for reading so far, could you now answer some small questions?

1. Had you heard about Tourette’s beforehand?
2. Do you now feel more informed about Tourette’s after reading my blog?
3. After reading my blog, what are your views on Tourette’s?
4. Would you now be prepared to do any of the following things to help- improve the lives of people who have Tourette’s?

• Make a donation to Tourette’s Action
• Tell your friends and family about Tourette’s
• Sign up to receive regular information about Tourette’s from Tourette’s Action : http://www.tourettes-action.org.uk/
• Visit and support their Venues around UK.

Thank you very much for taking an interest and commenting if you have, please visit the TA website for more information. For our information, could you please put your state/province and country in your comment (to see how far I have advocated). Thank you once again.
Yours gratefully,
                          Amelia