Professional Development Program For Educators
New Jersey Department of Education Provider #976

The Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey, Inc. provides on-site district-wide public and private school in-services, as well as in-service programs for colleges, universities, residential facilities, police departments and other community groups for the purpose of educating New Jersey professionals and community members about Tourette Syndrome and its associated disorders.

TSANJ, Inc. is registered with the New Jersey Department of Education as a Professional Development Provider and as such, participants who complete our in-services are given a professional development certificate, indicating hours earned. (On-site in-services are typically 1-2 hours.)

The In-service Program offered by TSANJ, Inc. covers the following NJ standards for Professional Development:

Tourette Syndrome: An In-service for Educators

A two-hour workshop has been offered at the following locations:

• Bergen Community College
• Brookdale Community College
• Camden County College
• County College of Morris
• Kean University
• Mercer County Community College
• Middlesex County Community College
• NJEA Convention
• Ocean County Community College
• Ramapo College of New Jersey
• Raritan Valley Community College
• Richard Stockton College
• Rowan University
• Rutgers University
• Sussex County Community College
• Warren County Community College

See the TSANJ Web calendar for planned workshops and locations.

Tourette Syndrome: An In-service for Educators

This course is designed to teach educators about Tourette Syndrome and its associated disorders such as ADHD and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Anxiety, depression, auditory processing and other learning disabilities will also be addressed. School related issues will be emphasized. The criteria for diagnosis/clinical assessment of Tourette Syndrome will be explained, along with current medical interventions. The course will enable educators to recognize students' difficulties as well as their strengths and potential. The course offers approaches and strategies that enable teachers to create a learning environment that supports the social/emotional and intellectual development of all students in the classroom. Accommodations regarding instruction and testing will be discussed, as well as classification, the 504 plan and the IEP. Helpful interventions and modifications for behavior management will be addressed. Insights shared regarding the nature of TS outside the classroom help educators gain an understanding of the whole child and develop a partnership with parents. Participants will have the opportunity, throughout the course, to share specific concerns; and to brainstorm instructional strategies using the course material and the handouts provided.

In-service Providers

Individuals providing professional development for the Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey, Inc. have been trained to follow a curriculum designed and written by the National Tourette Syndrome Association. Presenters are typically teachers, nurses or have a medical background. Most presenters also have first-hand knowledge of Tourette Syndrome through personal experience or through a family member being diagnosed with the disorder. All providers have been trained by our in-service coordinator, who has many years of special education experience and holds a Masters in Education.

For additional information about an in-service, college workshop or the Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey, Inc., contact us at 908-575-7350.