Educational Outreach
The prevalence of Tourette Syndrome is approximately 1% of school age children, making it a very common condition. To complicate matters, many students with the diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome also have co-occurring conditions such as ADHD and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
The educational outreach program helps address the educational barriers students with Tourette Syndrome and OCD face in the classroom. Below there is a more detailed overview of the content of our educational outreach program.
Should you have any questions, please contact Julian at: julian.fletcher@ucalgary.ca
To assist your child or student, you can request our educational outreach in-service program:
What is educational outreach?
Educational outreach is an in-school presentation, enabling students and educators to learn about Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and associated conditions.
In-school presentations are an important means of providing psychoeducation – that is, education about Tourette Syndrome and OCD, and thereby increasing knowledge and changing attitudes and behaviours towards students and individuals with these conditions.
Some students with these disorders are misunderstood, mocked, and on occasion, bullied. In-service educational presentations are a very effective way of reducing stigma and promoting understanding of Tourette syndrome and OCD.
Presentations are tailored to the needs and age of the audience. The presentation provides basic health information on Tourette syndrome and/or OCD, emphasizing the positive consequences for students when their peers understand what it feels like to tic and/or experience OCD in the classroom.
Educational in-services are available for teachers and staff. They provide information about the kinds of struggles students living with Tourette syndrome and OCD have in the context of learning and teaching. Classroom strategies are discussed, as well as how to facilitate learning accommodations.
What are the benefits of our educational outreach program?
We regularly measure and analyse the effectiveness of our educational outreach program, by interviewing the parents of children whose schools we have delivered in-school presentations to. The benefits are many:
The effect on the child with tics:
- School becomes a safer place as classmates gain education about the nature of tics and OCD
- There is often an improvement in the relationship with other students, as they become more tolerant of tics
- Child learns about their own tics and OCD through the presentation
The effect on family dynamics at home:
- The child is more likely to reflect and talk about tics at home.
- Normalizing effect: the presentation gives permission for all family members to discuss tics and/or OCD.
The effect on teacher awareness of child tics and/or OCD:
- Classroom conversations on tic disorders and OCD occur more frequently
- Teachers employ different classroom strategies with more confidence
Quotes from interviews with parents
“In the presentation you did talk a little bit about how kids will sometimes keep tics in, and how they can kind of hold back. My son will tell me now ‘mom, I actually learned how to do that’, and he will actually explain to me how he's doing it. I don't think he was aware necessarily before.”
,
“With the knowledge that we have now and having watched your presentation in school, there's just a sense of calm because all of us just know so much more about it.”
“I think having the teacher on board and just knowing a little bit more…is amazing and so incredibly supportive."