I worked with a family whose son had Tourette’s Syndrome.  He was easily agitated and had significant excess energy.  During middle school, his teachers allowed him to go outside and run the track a few times; he became less aggressive and did better on his work. This worked well for three years.

 

But at the high school, sports are the reward for conformity, not a treatment for a disease.  So, when he became aggressive or agitated in class, he was denied the opportunity to run the track, the resulting behavior kept him from being on the track team. The very thing that would have helped him do better was withheld from him as punishment.  The family did not feel qualified to homeschool, and refused to consider it.

 

I attended his Special Education meeting at the high school with the family.  There was no way to convince those “professionals” that what had worked for the past three years might work now.  After all, the high school had rules!

 

Today, as an adult nearby, he has been arrested multiple times, is in and out of homeless shelters, and is still bitter and resentful.