I have made a few corrections to this post after vetting it by someone at Tourette Syndrome Foundation Canada. First off, I wasn’t supposed to use the logo (!), so I’ve changed it to a grumpy dog which is how I feel about this topic! Thank you to Kadija, for helping me out with the rest. 

Okay… I know I’ve covered this before, but today it’s really irking me. I’m reading one of the ARCs given to me and so far I really like this one, but it just pissed me off for the second time with the same joke about a character who acts “inappropriately” obviously having Tourette Syndrome.

I’d like to ask all the authors who use this “joke” and, there are quite a few of you out there, a few questions.

1. Why do you think it’s funny to make fun of a disorder that so many people suffer from?

2. Did you know that the correct spelling is Tourette Syndrome, not Tourette’s? Nope. Obviously not. Neither did your editor or your copyeditor (or a lot of websites). At least if you’re going to make fun of people, get it right.

3. Did you know that yelling out profanity or inappropriate things is NOT the main symptom of Tourette Syndrome? Nope. Again, obviously not, because if you did, you’d realize your joke doesn’t even make sense. Coprolalia is a tic but only appears in about 10% of those diagnosed. More common symptoms are along the lines of tics, jerks, barking, repetitive motion or sounds.

4. Did you know that many people grow out of it as adults and it’s most prominent amongst TEENS (especially boys)? You know, your main friggin audience! The correct info is: You don’t outgrow the disorder it’s genetic but you learn to cope better and the tics seem to take a back seat in adulthood. However, this is very individual so it can’t be a blanket statement. Things usually get rocky during puberty when all the neurochemicals mix with the hormones.

5. Did you know that using it as a joke in a book makes you look like an idiot? Well it does.

I’m just sayin’.

Yeah…it takes a lot to send me off on a rant, but I once interviewed a teen for a magazine who had Tourette Syndrome  and personally, I think they suffer enough without YA writers (or any writers) adding to it with uninformed and inappropriate attempts at humour. So there.

Oh, and while I don’t usually ask people to link to my site about my blog topics, if this gets your blood boiling too, please mention it elsewhere on the web. I think that this is something all writers should consider. It actually could go on my list of overused things in YA. I’ve seen it a ton.

If you’re so inclined, please visit the TSA-USA who actually has an awareness campaign around this topic entitled It Ain’t Funny and it Ain’t True.