Teen with Tourette's: "Managing the Disease is Easy. The Difficulty is with People"

Liat Abramovitz, mother of 13-year-old twins with Tourette's syndrome, discusses dealing with the debilitating condition and criticizes how it is portrayed in the 'cultured' world. "When artists mock Tourette's or any disabilities during performances in the name of satire or humor— it only increases society's ignorance. This same society will later mock the children with odd-looking movements. It is the society that will ostracize them, the society that will permit itself to judge them for something beyond their control. A disability."

In a Facebook post she shared, Abramovitz included a video of her son Yuval talking about dealing with the syndrome and societal reactions. "I am part of a closed Facebook group for parents of children with Tourette's, where cases of social exclusion, bullying, harassment, rejection, and mockery of children with Tourette's frequently surface," Abramovitz continues to write. "The most recent case involved artists choosing to use tics as a comedic element. I believe there was no malicious intent, but sometimes— thoughtless use of a disability to entertain creates exactly the situation our children experience today."

"We contend with negative stereotypes about the syndrome and the image it has in television series, reality shows, and the media. In most places, characters with the syndrome are depicted using the cursing tic, which is shown as a defining trait. People who curse are portrayed with ridicule or twisted humor—as people with Tourette's. In reality, cursing tics are quite rare and not characteristic of most with the syndrome. Yet, the first question my children are asked when they mention they have Tourette's is if they curse. 

"It's time people know more about the syndrome, so it becomes easier for my children to live in this world. So people will look at them with understanding and empathy, not pity or unfair stereotypes."

"Children with Tourette's Can Be Anything They Want"

Abramovitz recounts the challenges she faces as a mother, saying the hardest moments are at night "when the child is in a tic attack, crying in bed because their whole body hurts, and they wish it would pass because they can't sleep. You stand helpless at their pain, tearing you apart. In this situation, all you can do is be supportive, embrace, provide a sense of security, and that's it."

Speaking about his own struggle with the condition, Yuval says managing Tourette's syndrome in himself is easy. "Dealing with other people is harder because people don't understand what Tourette's is. Children in my class understand what I have, and some know really well. Most kids in the class accept me as I am, with Tourette's. But when I walk down the street and no one knows what I have, people laugh because they don't get it, and that tends to hurt. I easily explain to anyone who asks because I want them to know there's no need to laugh at it. I would like people to understand us and accept us as we are."

The truth is, these are just regular kids. "It's important for people to know that children with Tourette's can be anything they want—as long as their self-image is positive. There are doctors, surgeons, psychologists, soccer players, even the inventor of the English dictionary— with Tourette's. There's no need to pity them. However, there is a need to understand, empathize, and give place to this as with any other diversity in society."