Mom pleas for understanding for son

Dear Annie: Please find space for my letter since school will begin in the next few weeks and my son’s emotional well-being hangs in the balance. Dear Community: This letter is to ask for your understanding and your patience. My son has Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes unusual and repetitive movements and noises. There is no cure, and medication is limited in its effectiveness. My son is no different from any other child his age, except for his inability to control his motor and vocal tics.

We enjoy going to the same places as you, but it can be extremely hurtful when people stare at us, give harsh looks and assume that my child is a behaviour problem. He does not mean to disturb you, and he would stop if he could. You may see me smile or put my arm around my son when he does these things. I am sending you a silent message, that my son is not being intentionally disruptive.

My son will be starting school soon. Please talk to your children, read them this letter, and help them to have some compassion for my son’s plight. If you would like to learn more about this disorder, please log on the Tourette Syndrome Association website (tsa-usa.org). Thank you for reading this and for changing how you view my child. A Grateful Mother in Modesto, Calif. Dear Mother: We could all show a little more compassion for those around us. You never know what obstacles someone else is dealing with. Thank you for writing.