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Tourette’s Syndrome and the School Experience: A Qualitative Study of Children’s and Parents’ Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Rebekah Grace  and
Cherry Russell
Rebekah Grace
Affiliation:
Psychological Medicine, University of Sydney, N.S.W
Cherry Russell*
Affiliation:
Behavioural and Community Health Sciences, University of Sydney, N.S.W
*
Dr. Cherry Russell, Department of Behavioural and Community Health Sciences, University of Sydney N.S.W. Australia. E-mail: c.russell@fhs.usyd.edu.au
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Abstract

This article reports on research exploring the school experiences of 26 children (aged between 8 and 15.5 years) diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. The research adopted a qualitative methodology, and is reported here from the perspective of both the parents and the children themselves. Three different groups of families emerged: those who were moderately satisfied in their experiences with the school system, those who were dissatisfied in their experiences with the school system, and families who were so completely dissatisfied that they removed their child from the school system altogether. There was no participating child or parent who was entirely satisfied in their experiences with teachers and the school. Themes that emerged for each of these groups are discussed. This research stresses the importance of teacher understanding and flexibility, as well as parent/school communication. The facilitation of social acceptance for a child with Tourette’s Syndrome is also extremely important to successful classroom integration.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 29 , Issue 1 , 2005 , pp. 40 - 59
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 2005

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