Author Archives: Sophie

About Sophie

Sophie is the pseudonym of our webmaster, mother to a ticapalooza-fantastic teenager.

Camp Ticapalooza 2018

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GET READY FOR S’MORES, THE CAMP FIRE, THE TALENT SHOW, ZIPLINING, CANOEING, KAYAKING AND ALL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT WE LOVE ABOUT CAMP TICAPALOOZA!!
Friday, September 21 – Sunday, September 23
Camp Cory, Penn Yan, NY
Open to kids ages 6-17
We are very excited to see our returning campers and
TO WELCOME LOTS OF NEW ONES !!

It’s that time again! We are officially announcing the Tourette Association of Greater NY State annual overnight camping program “Ticapalooza” to be held this year September 21 – 23, 2018, at Camp Cory in Penn Yan, NY. We welcome ages 6-17, and optionally, their parent(s) and sibling(s), to join us for this fun-filled weekend. Registration can be done via email or snail mail, and you can make payment either by mailing a check to the chapter, or on the website through Pay Pal. Registration ends September 12. We need your registration info and payment by that date so that we can feed, house, and program for the correct number of campers!

We have some partial and full scholarships available.  The application form is included in the registration packet.

If wanting to pay by Paypal, use the donation button and type in your total payment amount.  If you are applying for a scholarship, please send in your registration and scholarship application but wait for payment instructions.

 

Camp Ticapalooza 2018 Registration Forms

Back to School with Tourette Syndrome

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Back to School with Tourette Syndrome

School is starting all across New York State. Going back to school can be a very exciting time. We meet new teachers, see old friends, make new friends, prepare for a new year of learning. However, for kids dealing with TS, this can be more of a stressful experience than an exciting one. New teachers won’t understand my tics, new kids may make fun of me, I could get punished for things I cannot control. I remember those years all too well because I lived them. My experience was complicated by the fact that I did not have a diagnosis until 15 years after I had finished my formal schooling.

Education about Tourette Syndrome is clearly the key. Many teachers and classmates have never learned anything about TS. It’s not their fault — but it will be our fault if we do not seize the moment and provide them with the knowledge they need to be supportive.

Education is the Key

TAA of Greater NY State has the tools to help you. We offer teacher in-service programs, videos and brochures and can provide a youth ambassador who can do a peer in-service presentation. Let us know what your needs are. We can be reached by email at conners@roadrunner.com or by phone at 716-839-4430. I am a retired teacher of 33 years so I know all too well how busy those first few days can be. But parents, please remember that being in a new classroom setting with new teachers and new classmates who do not understand TS can be rough.

An in-service may not be able to be scheduled for a couple of weeks, so I am posting below a one-page fact sheet and an article about associated disorders in the classroom, that you can give to all of your child’s teachers that very first day, or in advance, if possible. They are not a substitute for an in-service, but can provide them with some very important information about TS that will help smooth out those first few days. I am also posting a sample “synopsis” of your child, his or her strengths, areas of difficulty and the accommodations that he or she has on a 504 Plan or an IEP, so that teachers will know from day 1 what they are responsible for. I urge you to create such a synopsis for your child, using the sample format, to give to all teachers working with your child, along with the other two articles. In addition, I am also posting a link to a 60-minute training video.

One-page Fact Sheet

Associated Disorders article

Synopsis of IEP for (name)

“A Teacher Looks at Tourette Syndrome” video

PLEASE CONTACT US. WE’RE HERE TO HELP!

Sue Conners, President
TAA of Greater NY State

Fantasy Island Picnic 2018

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Friday, August 24, 2018
11 am to ?? (park closes at 8 pm)
Fantasy Island Amusement Park
Grand Island (Western NY)

Sponsored by:

The Tourette Association of Greater NY State

Family Picnic – Fantasy Island Amusement Park

$16 per person price includes unlimited ride passes to the park and water park, hot dogs, salads, drinks, snacks and desserts

Please bring a
dessert, snack or salad to share

You must pre-register by August 21, by filling out page two of the flyer

Free Superhero Movie Night

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Saturday, August 4, 2018
5:30 to 9:00 pm
Calvary Episcopal Church in Williamsville

Sponsored by:

The Tourette Association of Greater NY State and Kiwanis Club of Amherst

FREE Superhero Movie Night

(Title TBA)

Hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, etc., will be served

You must RSVP by August 1, by filling out page two of the flyer

Youth Ambassador Summer 2018

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Congratulations to Ezra Daly-Griffen !!

This year the Tourette Association of America is hosting a second Youth Ambassador Training. TAA of Greater NY State is very proud to announce that one of our youth members has been selected to attend this training. Congratulations to Ezra Daly-Griffen of South Dayton, NY. Ezra is a student at Pine Valley Central Schools.   For those of you who have attended Camp Ticapalooza, you will surely remember Ezra, our fabulous drummer. Ezra has been very involved in our chapter for several years, coming to many of our chapter events, sitting on a youth panel at a conference for educational personnel, and attending our camp annually. He is always willing to volunteer and lend a helping hand with whatever needs to be done. This training will be held July 13-14, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. Ezra will be traveling to San Antonio with his mom, Jessamine, one of our long-time and fabulous camp counselors. Ezra’s older sister, Willow, was selected as the chapter Youth Ambassador in 2016 and attended the training in Washington, DC.

We wish Ezra and his mom safe travels to San Antonio and our congratulations on being selected to represent our chapter.

We are so very proud of you, Ezra!!