My son has Tourettes with only minor symptoms. He has always done well academically until this yr. Where he scored at high end proficiency in math last yr…..he can barely do basic math this year. We just were given the diagnosis of visual, auditory and short term memory learning disorders. This seemed odd to develop at such a late date and wondered if anyone else has had this type of experience.
Re: no LDs until 10
It may also be that the Tourette’s is the culprit rather than deficits which are just appearing. I would talk with his physician. My understanding is that suppressing tic’s- even minor, fairly nonintrusive tic’s, requires a huge amount of mental energy. This would mean that he has less brain and energy available for remembering what he sees and hears- that would help account for the memory deficits- possibly. Anxiety is also a huge issue. I also wonder about medication- what he is taking and how effective it is at helping him with the tic’s? Meds can have lots of odd ripple effects until folks get used to them. The docotr who is working with you is likely the best place for you and the school to start.
There are lots of great sites with info about Tourette’s and it’s impact on school functioning- tsa.org is a good place to start.
Robin
ome other thing to consider as well
Tourette’s, like many other forms of autism often becomes more difficult for the child as they near puberty. The first change in life is very difficult for us, and the early teens is typically when many autistic children get sent to residential facilities because they become too much to handle.
I wish you good luck with your child, and please keep us posted.
Re: no LDs until 10
Has he regressed in his skills or is it that he is no longer keeping pace with his peers? I would be concerned about physical causes, including a problem with medications, if he is losing skills that he previously had. Did you consult with a neurologist?
Andrea
Agree with Robin
I have a 10-year old son with TS and know that going to school with tics is like doing two jobs at once. While he seemed to do all right on standardized tests up to now, the principal has told me this year he did not complete even one section of the test and has asked me to get a doctor’s note for untimed tests for next year. Another thing to consider is whether he might also have OCD, which occurs frequently with TS. Frequent recurring thoughts (some might classify these as mental tics rather than OCD—the line between TS and OCD is very blurred) can be extremely disruptive and get a child off track very quickly. This could be evidenced as short term memory and auditory and visual problems. My son’s tics are very frequent but relatively discreet—based on outward manifestations, you might call it mild TS. But behind that are constant disruptive thoughts that makes it very hard for him to stay focused. The combiantion really puts him more in the moderately severe TS category. Lesley Packer has a helpful site on TS with a lot of information about education and the TS bulletin board on braintalk.org is also useful.
His LD’s just caught up with him and that is common for kids with ADD. THe ability to hide or mask Ld’s by flying by the seat of their pants alone gets really hard when they hit 4th-5th grade, they can’t just get by with their wits alone.
As tasks get more involved, the words get longer, the tasks get more involved in regards to math and multiple steps to follow, their ability to hide their LD’s falls apart. They need the skills to focus, decode, memory, etc..I have tutored kids who have this problem, the older they get the worse it gets for them in regards to their abilities to focus and function. How are his meds working out?