Family Support: T.I.C. Night Out

T.I.C. Night Out stands for “Together In the Community”, an annual outing for children diagnosed with Tic/Tourette Disorders and their families. Children with these diagnoses often experience severe motor and vocal tics that may visually separate these children from others. Unfortunately, research suggests that children with Tic Disorders (TD) are often more bullied and socially isolated from their peers, which may in actuality make their tics worse. TIC Night Out was an idea really brought to fruition by children and their families, who wanted an opportunity to meet other children and parents in order to both socially connect and learn from those who may be experiencing similar daily challenges. The first TIC Night Out occurred on August 2017 and was a massive success. Most importantly, several children made friends and have kept in contact with other children at the event, so that they are now “not alone” in having this diagnosis, priceless knowledge and a wonderful example of the importance of community events like this and why support of outreach programming is so essential. Ask your provider for more information.