A few weeks ago, I drew a treasure map for my niece Bean. It was a way of playing with her, creating memories and feeling connected without getting too close or breaking any lockdown rules. I created some for other children too.…

Back in July, researcher Evie wrote a guest post about her project looking at tics and mealtimes. Back then she was recruiting young people to contribute their experiences. She’s back today but this time she’s looking for parent perspectives – over to Evie with more.…

It’s half term week and families across the UK will be looking for ways to keep everyone entertained. In non-pandemic times the Touretteshero team travel a lot and, in the process, we’ve developed some tic-inspired games to pass the time. Our favourite game is Phil Mitchell, so to celebrate the holiday I thought I’d share our game with you.…

It’s been a rainy, grey day in London, but my afternoon got brighter when my three-year old niece Bean popped in with King Russell for a quick play in the garden on the way home from nursery.

Because her mum’s a hospital doctor and I’m in the shielding group when it comes to COVID 19, we’ve had to be careful about how much we see each other.…

At the weekend I met my sister and my niece Bean at a playground we haven’t visited since Bean was tiny. It was lovely to be back in a park playing together. I was wearing a mask and being careful to keep my distance from my sister, Bean and from other families as well.…

Almost exactly six months ago I created a story for my three-year-old niece Bean about her mum’s job as a doctor, to explain the coronavirus pandemic and what it would mean for our family.

As infection rates increase again, and with my sister due to start a new job next month that involves an increase in overnight and on-call hours, I’ve updated the story to help explain to Bean what’s happening, and what to expect.…

A new academic year is beginning. Children and young people are returning to school, students will be starting at University, and many adults will be settling back into work after the disruption of COVID-19. This post is for people who know someone with tics – maybe that’s someone you’ve just met or maybe you’ve known them your whole life.…

On Sunday 15th March I went swimming with my niece Bean and her dad, my brother-in-law, King Russell. Afterwards we came back to the castle and watched a film together. What I didn’t know as Bean and I sat cuddling was that this would be the last time we’d have close physical contact for many months.…

I’ve seen a few social media posts recently from parents of children with tics who are yet to receive a diagnosis. I imagine the pandemic will have slowed this process down even further and suspect there will be families having to manage challenging new circumstances with little to no support.…

Normally when I write this blog, I’m writing for everyone – all ages, all backgrounds, with all sorts of bodies and minds. But this post is different because I’ve written it specifically for children and young people who are at the start of their journey with tics.…