What Makes Him Tic?

Parenting a Child with Tourette Syndrome

Michele Turk

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Paperback

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English

Woodhall Press
11 September 2024

Memoirs

When Michele Turk's 11-year-old son Michael was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, she made it her mission to show him, and later others, that he was so much more than the boy who shouted obscenities hundreds of times a day. What Makes Him Tic? A Memoir of Parenting a Child with Tourette Syndrome, describes Michele's leave-no-stone-unturned strategy to figure out what Michael needed to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally in a world where Tourette is the punchline of jokes on late-night TV and sitcoms. The memoir also provides ample reporting on Tourette, often referred to as ""the most misunderstood well-known condition,"" and is meant to be a roadmap and inspiration for parents, caregivers, and educators of children with Tourette and other special needs.

More than a medical story, What Makes Him Tic? is a moving portrait of a family, a marriage, and a mother coping with day-to-day life amidst the stresses of caring for a boy with a stigmatizing condition. The book is also a surprising testament to the healing power of music: the memoir takes readers to Carnegie Hall (where Turk was certain she was the only parent ever to sit in the audience and wonder whether her child would curse while singing with a youth chorus onstage). It also takes readers inside bars and music venues where Michael sang, and played drums and guitar, and ultimately, found himself, as part of the School of Rock. Finally, it takes readers inside a relationship in turmoil, as the author honestly explores the toll Michael's struggle took on her marriage to a doctor who didn't make time to help his son, leaving her, a woman who had doubted her abilities as a mother, to find reserves of strength she didn't know she had.

By: Michele Turk
Imprint: Woodhall Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 12mm
Weight: 322g
ISBN: 9781954907928
ISBN 10: 1954907923
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 11 September 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Michele Turk has worked as a journalist for three decades, covering parenting, health, and education. Her articles and essays have appeared in BusinessWeek, Parents, Parenting, the Hartford Courant, Elle, USA Weekend, The Washington Post, Brain, Child, and Next Avenue.com. She has served as president of the Connecticut Press Club since 2015. Turk lives with her husband, Russ, in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Reviews for What Makes Him Tic?: Parenting a Child with Tourette Syndrome

"""Using her well-honed journalist skill, Michele Turk takes us on her raw, vulnerable, and brave quest to understand and treat her son's diagnosis, preserve his sense of self, and protect him from mistreatment. While educating us about Tourette Syndrome, What Makes Him Tic? describes the journey and emotional complexity experienced by many parents of neurodiverse children - from fear, worry, stress, grief, and self-doubt to acceptance, hope, joy, and the realization of their child's unique strengths and gifts. This book will make you a more informed, empathic, and wiser person."" --Dan Peters, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Executive Director, Summit Center, California, Author, Make Your Worrier a Warrior; Co-author, Bright, Complex Kids; Host, Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan ""This book is a must-read for anyone with Tourette Syndrome."" --Brad Cohen, author of Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had"