Tourette Syndrome & Tic Disorders Support Group

My son is also 9 and has TS. There are many emotions you will have to go through as her parent as well. Read everything you can. Learn as much as you can and you will be her biggest support. Maybe start a support group in your area. My husband and I are working on doing that now. When you start telling people that your daughter has TS, you will learn that there are others in your area as well. Word of mouth gets around fast. It may take a little while but you will eventually meet other people who have TS. Keep in touch on Daily Strength. Sometimes it gets slow around here but some of us check in every day. That is a big source of strength for me just knowing there are other parents like you out there who know what I am going through. Good Luck.

tell her not to give up..with proper medication and understanding shell be the dncer shes always dreamed of..chin up

My daughter (8) is a dancer and gymnast. Tics interfered with her gymnastics for a brief period at the beginning (5), but not anymore. She's actually used her TS to improve her gymnastics - She has an evening tic that makes her "tumble" on the furniture (very dangerous). She's redirected it into practicing hand-stands every night! (They've gotten *gorgeous*!) It's taken her (and us) a while to accept this diagnosis, but she's ok with it now. She's even learning how to redirect her behaviors at school and find accommodations on her own. Our tactic with her has been: therapy (that's helped tremendously) and honesty. She knows she's disabled, we don't hide that word from her. She knows she's different, we don't need to tell her otherwise. But she also knows that it's ok to be different, that EVERYbody has something different about them. It's just that most kids aren't as obvious about their differences as TS kids are. She's honest to her friends about her TS and has gotten a lot of support from them. I got many books from the library about TS and got some for her to read, too. They're a bit advanced for her, but she has really enjoyed reading about her condition. I think it reassures her to understand what's happening to her.

Encourage your daughter to keep dancing. Studies show that while focusing on something they enjoy, TS sufferers tend not to tic so much while involved in that activity. Keep her doing something that she loves to do, so that she can always have that and feel good about herself.