Hannah John Davidson MP3

John Davidson discusses the positive shift in public understanding of Tourette syndrome following his memoir and film, though significant misconceptions remain. He highlights two main myths: that all sufferers swear (which isn’t true) and that people will "grow out" of it (symptoms often return). Davidson emphasizes the need for better support, particularly in schools where teachers must understand neurodiversity to adapt curricula. He argues that traditional classrooms aren’t suitable for many children with Tourette’s, who learn differently. Seeing his life adapted into a film felt surreal, but he remains focused on reducing stigma and improving educational and workplace accommodations for those living with the condition. Hi. What's your name? My name's John Davidson. And I'll start with the first question. What has changed the most in public understanding of Tourette syndrome since the memoir has come out? I think there's been a huge shift in the understanding and reasoning awareness about the condition, and a deeper understanding as well. I think the book gives quite a good in-depth kind of slice of what it's like to live with the condition, and with the film as well. So yeah, we've moved a long way. Still a long way to go here. What misconceptions about Tourette syndrome do you still encounter? The biggest one is, oh, you've got Tourette's so you must shout and swear. And it's like, no. Not everyone with Tourette's does. And we need to get that across. There's a big stigma that's been kind of, you know, on the kind of cards for a long, long time. And we want to get rid of that stigma because it's not fair on the people who don't swear when they're asked, oh, do you swear? You know, some people it's very, very private thing. So yeah, that's definitely the biggest thing. Also about, oh, I hope you'll grow out of it eventually. Not fact. Not fact. Some people do. I don't think they grow out of it. I think they get respite for a moment, and quite commonly it comes back later in life. So they're the two main things that I do get, you know. Yeah. What support do young people with Tourette syndrome need today? Initially they need the understanding. When they're at school, they need the teachers to understand the condition fully. They need to understand how that child is affected by the condition, to be able to teach that child. And quite often, I think it's very, very difficult for a child or a young person to go to school knowing that they're different, people seeing that they're different, they're ticking and stuff. So one thing that I would love to see is that children with Tourette syndrome, or any neurodiverse child, gets another opportunity at a different curriculum for educating them. Because they learn differently. They don't want to be in that classroom environment. It's not the right environment for people with Tourette's. Even in the workplace, and there's lots and lots of support for adults with the condition in the workplace, so we need to start that education as well. How did it feel seeing your life turn into film, I guess? It was absolutely surreal. Same time. What lesson. For what you hear.