This is really weird/funny. I work in a computer engineering lab where people come for help on about 5 different courses. This guy (first of all, a week or two ago he was talking about having a seizure over the weekend) is in the military program here at VT. Anyway, whenever something "frustating" happens he starts breathing like as loud as possible, it build up until it sounds like stuff is coming out of his nose, then he says in a weird voice "Hey, how's it going, how's it going, how are you doing" then he sort of hums and then he usually mumbles something to himself and doesn't talk for 5 minutes. He says this phrase about 1x every 2 hours (he was in here last night too). And says it so everyone in the lab hears and gets quiet. I'm not sure if he's joking or has some weird Tourette like thing going on. Any ideas? Should I ask "are you ok?" or just laugh.
A guy in the lab I TA for has tourette or something, what is going on with him?
- Thread starter pX
- Start date
- Nov 27, 1999
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didn't think of that, but he isn't sounding like beavis, it's almost like he is singing in a morrissey voice or something..
I have been laughing just to make people feel at ease because I think it freaks them out.
I have been laughing just to make people feel at ease because I think it freaks them out.
Yes, that sounds like it's probably Tourette's. No, just ignore it. I'm sure he's sick of everyone reacting to it.
Though I suppose you could talk to him in private and ask him if there is anything you can do to help the classroom setting to feel less stressful. Tell him you want all your students to feel comfortable and enjoy lab.
DainBramaged
Lifer
- Jun 19, 2003
- 23,454
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While the snickering may have been well intended, you can't honestly think that will make him feel more at ease.
Just ignore it completely, acknowledging it will probably only makel him feel more out of place.
Just ignore it completely, acknowledging it will probably only makel him feel more out of place.
Tourette's is uncontrolled outbursts. This guy just sounds kind of psycho. I had a girl in one of my classes who would get upset during class assignments, mumble loudly, and even threw down her pencil and stormed out of the room. Yeah, she was a psycho :Q
Yeah, stressful situations make someone with Tourette's tic more, so if people are making fun of him, he's going to feel bad and tic more. Laughing at him is about as nice as laughing at someone who is in a wheelchair or something.
Verbal and physical tics like he described are pretty common for Tourette's. The tics are not completely uncontrolled, but *are* difficult to control. It's like having a really really bad itch that you're trying not to scratch. After awhile, you can't stand it and have to scratch. But regardless, the only reasonable reaction to the situation is to ignore it.
Edit: Another interesting thing about Tourette's is that the VAST majority of tics are NOT verbal. They're physical. Repetitive motions usually, like blinking or jerking the head or touching something (like your ear or nose or something) over and over.
Maybe I'm skewed by hollywood representations of Tourette's (although I've seen real as well), but ""Hey, how's it going, how's it going, how are you doing" then he sort of hums and then he usually mumbles something to himself and doesn't talk for 5 minutes" doesn't really sound like an outburst. It just sounds like a socially "odd" person...
Originally posted by: screw3d
That sounds like when I'm baked
Do you get really cold and start shivering, even at room temperature too?
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