Getting Help at School - Where Do I Begin?

by Susan Conners, M. Ed.
Education Specialist, TSA, Inc.

The most difficult thing that parents of children newly diagnosed with TS face is the process of working with the school system. First and foremost you must go about helping school personnel understand your child and how TS and its associated disorders affect performance and behavior in the classroom. The second most important thing is to begin the process of obtaining special education services if this is indeed necessary for your child. It is a rare child with TS who does not need some special services or accommodations in a school setting. We hope that the information contained in this section of the web site will help you navigate this system.

• OHI (Other Health Impaired) is the appropriate classification for children with TS. It is listed as such in the Education Handbook of many states.
• Always put your request for classification and testing in writing to the school principal or the chairperson of the Special Education Committee. Include a copy of the doctor’s diagnosis of TS including the accompanying neurological disorders (ADHD, OCD, etc.) and literature from the Tourette Syndrome Association. (See sample letter below)
• Do not accept a refusal for classification based on the following reasons:
  1. Your child does not show a discrepancy between performance and verbal IQ and therefore does not qualify as Learning Disabled. You are not seeking a classification of LD, but OHI. All you need for this classification is a diagnosis of TS. If the school has never been in serviced on TS, they will most likely be unable to observe the impact of TS on performance.
  2. Your child does not qualify for services because his disability does not impact on his academic performance.
• Always try to bring someone from your local TSA or an advocate with you to the meeting and remember that you have the right to take the IEP home with you and have it reviewed before signing it.
• Obtain the packet for newly diagnosed parents available through TSA, Inc. It will lead you step by step through the special education "maze". Assume that most of your child’s teachers know little about TS and the accompanying disorders. Do your homework and be prepared.

Educate yourself by reading everything TSA has to offer before you meet with teachers. The new TSA Introduction to Educational Advocacy brochure will be of great assistance.

Sample School Letter

Sample letter for parent to address to either the school principal or the coordinator of the Special Education Department.

Dear ______________,

My child, ________________, has recently been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome by Dr. ___________. Tourette Syndrome is a neurological spectrum disorder which is almost always accompanied by other neurological disorders. He/She has thus also been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I have observed the impact that all of these disorders are having on his/her academic performance and social emotional well being. I have also learned from TS literature that a very large number of children with TS also exhibit learning disabilities especially in the area of non-verbal learning. These disabilities very often include central auditory processing difficulties and fine motor/visual motor impairment.

I am including a letter of diagnosis from the treating physician which also discusses the urgent need for the completion of all of the above requested evaluations and educational pamphlets from the Tourette Syndrome Association to be shared with my child’s teachers and the school psychologist. In the interim, I will be more than happy to meet with school personnel working with my child to discuss what behaviors he/she may be exhibiting in the classroom as a result of this diagnosis and what educators can do to assist.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon and to working together with school personnel to provide an optimum learning environment for my child.

Sincerely,

______________

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Reviewed: 03/2006