#tics awareness

I have tics, y’all know that already. I also get muscle spasms and tightness. Essentially a muscle will tense up in place and shake and it’ll be stuck like that for 1-3 minutes. I also get shaky so—

I get shaky at the end of the day usually so it’s not a huge problem but it can get really bad.

if y’all are wondering why I’m saying this now—mainly awareness for tics at a high severity level—but also because I want y’all to understand why I spread awareness in the first place, so people can understand and learn about it instead of ignorance.

y’all are understanding and I love you for that 💛

• there’s a teacher in my school who’s bi and emo, first time i had a conversation with him, i accidentally ticced ‘emo twink’ and now it’s common whenever i see him (he’s the only teacher who knows about my tics who i trust)

• a guy was kissing his girlfriend in the hallway and i shouted ‘bender’ at him

• tics - ‘fucking squirrel whore’ my teacher - ‘how would you do that to a squirrel and what do you know about my personal life’

• me and my friends both have very flirty tics and the amount of times we’ve hit on eachother is hilarious

• another friend always put her hand in front of me when i had tics where i’d jerk forward

• i have a tic that says ‘bark for me’ and if someone replies i tic back with ‘good boy’

That is a very excellent question and something I wondered for a long time actually!

1. Tics are involuntary (so if you can't control it, or if it comes in the form of an irresistible urge that's extremely difficult or painful to ignore, then it is probably a tic).

2. Some people get a sensation before a tic that lets them know the tic is coming.

3. Tics don't help with emotional regulation like stimming does

4. Some people experience the need to tic until it "feels right" (I experience this)

5. Usually, tics worsen with stress

We must end this idea of “disabled enough” so many of us deny ourselves or have been denied accomodations and support due to this idea. If you benefit from a cane then you have a right to use a cane. You are not taking away resources from others who “actually need it” if it helps you go about your life with greater ease then you are who it was made for. You have a right to use facilities such as priority seats. You have the right to rest. I promise you my dear that does not make you lazy in the slightest. You have a right to ask when you need support you are not being needy or demanding. If you struggle with urgency issues, you have a right to use the disabled bathroom, if you benefit from it then you have a right to use it. If digit toys help you, then you should be able to carry a fidget toy. If you need more time for certain tasks, you have the right to be given such. I cannot stress this enough, this does not make you lazy. Asking for support does not make you selfish.

You have a right to call others out on their ableism. You are not “too sensitive”, having a disability does not mean you always have to be in good humour about your condition, it does not mean you have to take whatever comes your way. If you are being treated cruelly, if you are being dismissed, demeaned, insulted and talked down upon you have a right to address this.

If you benefit from pre-prepared meals, use them!! It does not make you lazy. All I want you to focus on is that you are keeping yourself as well fed as you can. Reduce your struggle wherever possible! What abled people often consider laziness often is in fact rather how a person with a disability is able to assist themself in their daily life. You are allowed to make things easier for you, in fact I ask that you do.

You are allowed to use mobility aids in public, glucose monitors, nasal cannulas or any other devices that keep you safe and healthy. It does not make you look worse, it is not an eyesore or something that must be hidden. Your disability does not make you unpresentable, you have a right to be in public if your disability affects the way you look, if you make noise or you drool. Your disability does not make you unworthy of being seen.

Your disability doesn’t make you “stupid”. Not scoring well in school does not make you stupid, difficulty with reading or speaking does not make you stupid. Inability to work does not make you a burden. Not contributing to capitalism does not mean your life has no value.

Just because your disability is not as severe as that of others does not mean you shouldn’t be given support. The same goes for if you don’t “look” disabled. You do not owe explanations to others, you should not force yourself to do the same things in the same ways as those without your disability. You are going to do things differently and there are going to be things you can’t do. That does not make you lazy.

don't stare: ticcing in public is incredibly stressful, and people with tics are very often on edge and fearful of reactions and stares. Staring causes stress, stress causes more tics. So if you see someone ticcing, don't gawp at them as if they're an animal in a zoo.

if you hear someone making a noise, no you didn't: I've had teachers address the noises that I make because of my tics in front of my entire class, leading me to have to explain my condition to the teacher and all my peers. People make sounds for a number of reasons, ticcing, stimming, etc. Please do your best to be understanding and just in general avoid publicly humiliating others.

Don't shame: don't tell someone their tics are annoying or hold an individuals accountable for saying something they do not mean and cannot control. Tics can be about anything, that does not mean that is what the person is thinking or that is something they say often or would ever want to say. Asking us to stop ticcing is NOT a fair a demand.

Do not hold down someone while ticcing: this can make matters a lot worse. When someone tics it satisfies a sort of urge, by holding us back you are not stopping the problem, in fact it can cause the tics to become more severe. The general consensus is do not interfere with tics unless a person is in danger or has asked you to.

Ask them!!: different people will have different preferences of how they want to be treated with their tics. Some people prefer when you laugh at tics because it makes the situation less awkward as well as making the person ticcing feel better. I personally hate anyone who's not someone I'm close to laughing at my tics. Ask a person with tics how they want you to react to their tics as well as how you can help them as a whole.

Accessibility: there are certain things you can do to make groups and environments accessible to those with tics. Having a safe, private and quiet space is incredibly helpful. I have many accommodations within the school environment, such as being able to get out of class, wear headphones or earphones, use fidgets and take exams separately from other students.

Don't fake claim: different people will all experience tics differently, tics can come on suddenly, they can go through periods where they're barely visible and often the full extent of what someone goes through is not apparent to onlookers. Often those who fake claim know nothing about a disorder, fake claiming in general is extremely damaging however drastically more so when done by someone who has no idea what they're talking about. Fake claiming does our community no benefit, all it does is make it more difficult for us to access support for our disability, with people being denied care and accomodations. It is much better to let a few fakers run around than damage an entire group of people. If someone who is faking is spreading misinformation or causing damage to the community that is another issue entirely and should be dealt with.

Don't fetishise: tics are not just some fetish, they are not a porn category. Tics can be disabling, they cause us to be ostracised, judged and bullied. As a general rule of thumb do not call someone's tics or just any symptom of their disability "cute". It is so incredibly frustrating, when something brings you such pain will be seen by others as "cute". Fetishisation does damage to our community, does damage to the movement we are making and does damage to individuals.

educate yourself, be understanding: you will not always understand, and there will likely be things you might not never understand however as a general rule, be kind. Having tics will result in limitations as well as need for certain accomodations. If there are two things you must take away from this:

Be kind, be understanding