Author to speak on his battle against Tourette's Syndrome

Cohen will speak at 4 p.m. Feb. 17 in Stewart Center, Room 314. The title of his speech is "Overcoming Obstacles and Winning the Game of Life." His talk, which is free and open to the public, is being sponsored by the College of Education and the Tourette Syndrome Association of Indiana.

Cohen wrote "Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had" (VanderWyk & Burnham, $22.95) last year, which details his years of suffering with the disorder.

Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological disorder that becomes evident between early childhood and adolescence and is defined by motor and vocal tics lasting for more than one year. The first symptoms usually are involuntary movements of the face, arms, limbs or trunk. Verbal tics or vocalizations include grunting, throat clearing, shouting, barking and sometimes the involuntary use of obscene words or socially inappropriate words and phrases.

The book, which is co-authored by Lisa Wysocky, gives readers a glimpse into how it feels to grow up with a disorder that can often be embarrassing. Cohen writes that as a child, he was ridiculed, beaten, mocked and shunned by other children — and sometimes adults.

For instance, just before he began fourth grade, Cohen attended a summer camp and received a "Froggy Award" from a camp counselor to recognize his Tourette-related habit of clearing his throat every few seconds.

He dealt with his emotions by passing himself off as a class clown.

"An eccentric joker is an identity you can play when out in the world," he wrote. "People might regard you with annoyance, but they don’t feel the need to stare."

Cohen's disorder also created tension in his family. He said his father, who was divorced from his mother, was confused and probably ashamed of his son.

"I know my emerging behaviors both embarrassed and disappointed him," he wrote. "I was a subpar version of that idealized firstborn son, the one whose fantasy image lurked in the back of his, and every father's, mind. The irritation that he felt toward me — and that sometimes turned to raging anger — prevented him from having to endure any intimacy with his baffling boy."

Although Cohen still struggles with the disorder, sometimes being thrown out of movie theaters and restaurants, he has been encouraged by a series of friends, family members and mentors. In the book, he lists 23 motivational tips that helped him along the way.

The Midwest Book Review called Cohen's book "strongly recommended reading … 'Front of the Class' is the remarkable story of a remarkable man who learned to deal with a marked and all too remarkable affliction."

Today, Cohen is a second-grade teacher in Marietta, Ga., who was named Georgia's First Class Teacher of the Year. A graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., he was active in many student organizations while attending college and has been the team mascot "Homer" for the Atlanta Braves.

He also has been vice president of the board of governors for the Tourette Syndrome Association of Georgia and founded an overnight camp for children with Tourette's Syndrome.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Tonya Agnew, communications/alumni relations director for the College of Education, (765) 496-2967, tragnew@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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