Thursday, February 17, 2011

What Do We Know about Tourette's?
If you have the idea that every patient curses unpredictably, think again
By Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz August 12, 2009

On May 22, 2001, radio talk show personality Laura Schlessinger, better known as Dr. Laura, received a call from a woman who was distressed by her sister’s decision to exclude their nephew from an upcoming family wedding. When the caller mentioned that the boy suffered from Tourette’s disorder (also sometimes called Tourette syndrome), Dr. Laura berated her for even thinking that it might be appropriate to invite a child who would “scream out vulgarities in the middle of the wedding.” As we’ll soon explain, Dr. Laura’s comments embody just one of several common myths regarding Tourette’s.

Read the rest of the article here.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am Dr. Laura Schlessinger. The CALLER clarified that the child in question would likely scream out inappropriate words. It was logical conclusion to exclude this child from the solemnity of the church wedding vows because it would not be fair to interrupt the ceremony. I did not make an assumption that this child would "act out". This post is incorrect spin on what happened during the call. Thank you