I’m very used to talking to children about my tics and why they happen. Explaining to the children at work is usually straightforward. But there’s another group of children who I don’t know anywhere near as well. These are the children who live in my area and see me coming and going from the lair while they’re playing out. I’ve explained to them but, with such brief interactions, it’s hard to be sure they’ve understood.

As I took the rubbish down earlier a little girl backed quickly away from me looking scared. I stopped to reassure her and had a quick chat with her older sister.

Fear is one of the things that I’m really keen to challenge. The other day I was reminded that it’s not just fear of me that I need to address but fear for me, when a little boy shouted from the climbing frame, “What’s happened to your brain?”