WILMINGTON — When she’s in the halls of Padua Academy, Anna Drushler is just another Panda, going to class and participating in extracurriculars. But she’s also an ambassador, helping educate her fellow students and others about Tourette syndrome for the Tourette Association of America.
Drushler, a rising senior, was named an ambassador for the association earlier this year. She spent a few days in Washington, D.C., learning what that will entail over the next year and meeting with members of Congress or the senate or their staff about issues facing people with Tourette syndrome.
Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects people of all ages, according to the Tourette Association of America. It is characterized by sudden involuntary movements or sounds, called tics. Tics can range from mild to severe and can be disabling in some cases.
Drushler, 17, said she was born with Tourette and that it hasn’t really stopped her from doing anything. She said it affects her most while she’s writing.
“I tic, and I stop writing, and then I keep writing, and I tic,” she said.
One of the times she worries about the disorder is when she meets new people.
“When I get new teachers, I feel like they’re not going to know about my Tourette syndrome. In class, they’re going to be like, ‘Why are you making these noises?’ So that’s a fear, and meeting new people,” she said.
Her tics became more noticeable after arriving at Padua from All Saints Catholic School, especially the vocal ones. Sometimes, she might shout or make other noises. Padua, she stressed, has been very welcoming and understanding.
“There are actually two other students with Tourette symdrome or a tic disorder,” she said.
One of the worries about Tourette is that it often comes with co-occurring conditions. Drushler said she has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety. Another, which she does not have, is obsessive-compulsive disorder.
She will be an ambassador for the TAA until she turns 18. She is required to give at least three presentations, but Drushler wants to do more.
“Your goal is to go out and educate the public. You can do presentations at school or at church or other places,” she said. “You educate.”
One of her presentations was to middle and high school students at Resurrection Parish in Pike Creek on May 5.
Younger sister Allison will be at Padua next year, Drushler said. An older sister, Amelia, also went to Padua. The girls live with their parents, Al and Cathy, in Pike Creek.
One of the positives about her trip to Washington was being around others who understood each other.
“When I was there, it was normal,” she said. “I look around during class sometimes, and I’m like, ‘How do you all sit still. You’re all sitting still, and I’m not.’”
There is no cure for Tourette, but some medications have proven to be effective, Drushler said. One of the things doctors have to be cautious about with medication is its effect on any other conditions, such as ADHD. Drushler said cognitive behavioral intervention with a competing response can work as well. For example, every time she gets the urge to clap her hands, she consciously squeezes her fist instead. She has had some success with both her motor and vocal tics using this therapy.
“Every time you get the urge to tic, you do the competing response until the urge goes away. It is a very hard therapy, and sometimes it doesn’t work,” she said.
Drushler is involved with the IDEA Club at Padua, which focuses on equality, and she also is in the sewing and embroidery club. She hopes to study English or creative writing when she gets to college.
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