A Yorkshire-based charity, Tics and Tourette\u2019s Information Centre (T.I.C), is stepping up efforts to raise awareness of Tourette\u2019s Syndrome across South Yorkshire as Tourette\u2019s Awareness Month gets underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Running from 15 May to 15 June, the month aims to challenge stigma and improve public understanding of the neurological condition, which affects around 1 in 100 children in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yasmin Bartle, support service manager for T.I.C, said: \u201cWe have seen more people become aware of the name Tourette\u2019s syndrome however, we have seen very little in the way of people understanding what Tourette\u2019s syndrome actually is or can look like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the condition is more widely recognised, Bartle said there is still a significant misunderstanding about what Tourette\u2019s actually involves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
T.I.C is using this year\u2019s awareness month to launch a major new education campaign aiming to train thousands of young people on how to better support classmates living with Tourette\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yasmin said: \u201cWe are currently training 5,000 young people on the ways they can help make their classrooms more inclusive for a person with Tourette\u2019s Syndrome. We\u2019re currently at 1,015 children and we\u2019re 5 days into awareness month and are on track to finish the month at a whopping 5,084 children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also highlighted the charity\u2019s continued efforts to challenge stigma around the condition\u2019s most misunderstood symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yasmin said: \u201cThe most common question or complaint from educators locally when a child is diagnosed is the phrase \u2018but they don\u2019t swear?’. This is meaning that the statistical minority are being acknowledged and anyone outside of that area are questioned or labelled \u2018less complex\u2019. This is a perception we are really trying to break down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nationally, Tourette\u2019s Action is leading the charge with their powerful new #Misunderstood campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Launched in collaboration with AML and The Attic, the multimedia campaign features a moving rendition of Nina Simone\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Let Me Be Misunderstood\u201d and stars individuals with Tourette\u2019s, including Grace, a young woman with TS, highlighting the everyday realities of the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n