My name is Natalie Davidson, I have Tourette's Syndrome (TS) & I am a teacher. You may of watched my documentary on TV this year called ‘The teacher with Tourettes’.
My Tourette's displays itself through motor & vocal Tics including Coprolalia (swearing) & has many hidden elements such as intrusive thoughts & the comorbid conditions of ADHD/OCD/Asperger's/Anxiety/Panic attack disorder.
I first engaged with advocacy work 10 years ago for a regional TV programme ‘Inside Out’ showing that although facing challenges I was successful in life. I have a career, with friends, hobbies & I work with young people across the region to help them feel that they could achieve their goals. This was followed up couple years after that with another regional ‘Inside Out’ piece that was shown in three different regions & a 15-minute piece on National Tv ‘The one show’ showing the progress that I had made in my career & life. It revisited the young people & the impact that I had made on their lives & what they were currently doing.
After this the BBC contacted me & said that Channel Five were interested in doing a full 1-hour documentary on me to show the work that I do. The programme ‘Teacher with Tourette's: Cursing in the Classroom’ was a massive opportunity to help spread awareness reduce discrimination & raise aspirations for those with Tourette Syndrome. For 5 months every part of my life, work, home, wedding were filmed, including all the ups the downs. I wanted to show the real life of living with a neurological condition, a mental health condition & the impact that has. The show was released in August 2020 & the feedback from individuals & national press was overwhelmingly positive. It has since been shown across Europe.
I have worked with national/regional/international support associations to deliver live talks, workshops, presentations, & webinars. I connect with teachers, lecturers, parents, & patients to raise aspirations & give hope to parents & individuals who have neurological disorders showing them that the pathway is going to be hard but it is a pathway that you can reach the end of.
I actively encourage positivity as well as acceptance & a belief that people can achieve their goals as well as facing the challenges of having a neurological disorder/disability/mental health. One of my goals has been to educate teachers & lecturers on different strategies to enable those within their classrooms & schools to reach their highest potential. I have been successful in making learning environments & work places more inclusive ensuring that they are offering everything that that the individual could need to reach those aspirations.
I offer advice & information as well as my own ‘lived-experience’ on dealing with the common co-occurring conditions that come along with TS. As well as useful information I inspire people giving them hope for their future especially during what can be a challenging time after receiving a diagnosis.
We struggle to accept what we do not understand and the more advocacy work I do,maybe, just maybe, I can make life a little easier for some of you.