SPECIAL NEEDS TEACHER, Colleen, was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) just a year into her teaching career. Growing up, she had unknowingly developed "mild tics" - but had dismissed these as merely "habits". It was not until the pandemic in 2020 when the stress of the period triggered her tics to become more severe. She began presenting with more obvious - and sometimes painful - tics, including hitting herself. Not only that, but her OCD would not allow her to tic just once - and, to this day, she usually finds herself compelled to tic four times in a row. Her husband, Joel, remembers finding it "tough to watch because I knew it was painful" and her two young children have had to adapt to her more severe tics too - Colleen's eldest son, Gavin, struggled to adjust at the start, but "now he's more accepting". When Colleen initially experienced her heightened tics, she did not let the subsequent diagnosis dissuade her from pursuing her dream career - and she has become a key role model for the neurodiverse children she teaches: "It really helps them relate to me. Seeing that I also struggle but I'm also able to be successful, that helps them to be like 'Oh, OK, I can do this too'". Still, teaching has not been without its challenges for Colleen - she has had parents assume that her Tourette's would present with her swearing and "cussing", something that has never manifested for her. Colleen is happy to inform parents of this to alleviate their fears, but will often suppress her tics for the benefit of others too - something she describes as "exhausting, it feels like I'm going to explode". In order to raise awareness for Tourette's syndrome and OCD, Colleen has taken to TikTok, where she posts videos of her tics and details her personal experiences. After initially experiencing trolls suggesting she was "faking" her conditions, she has since built an incredibly supportive following and the response she receives now is hugely positive. Colleen's work is far from done though, as she continues to passionately advocate for young people across the neurodiversity spectrum: "It's OK to be different, it's OK to be neurodivergent, it doesn't make us any less".
Follow Colleen on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colleenmontez
Follow Colleen on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colleenmontez
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FunTranscript
00:00 I'm the school teacher with Tourette's and OCD.
00:02 I've had parents assume that I'm swearing at their kids,
00:06 but that's just a lazy stereotype.
00:08 I do suppress my tics around pretty much every adult.
00:13 It is exhausting.
00:15 It feels like I'm going to explode.
00:19 My two kids respond to my tics differently.
00:24 When they got worse, it was definitely an adjustment.
00:27 She sometimes slaps herself if I'm talking,
00:30 and she whistles.
00:31 I get a little annoyed, but I try my best to ignore it.
00:36 My name is Colleen Montes, and I'm a teacher in Austin, Texas.
00:44 Can you work with him, and I will work with him?
00:47 Sure.
00:47 I teach at an elementary school.
00:49 I teach special education, and the students
00:53 are typically high-functioning, but they
00:55 have very severe behaviors.
00:58 When I first went into teaching, I did not have severe tics yet.
01:04 I'm going to give you seven blocks,
01:06 because that's what you have.
01:08 But you need to see if you have enough blocks, OK?
01:10 Or if you have to regroup.
01:11 The level of stress that I was under during COVID
01:15 and it being my first year teaching set my tics off.
01:19 And at that point, that's where my Tourette's really kicked in.
01:23 Six, seven.
01:24 Six.
01:25 [WHISTLE]
01:25 [APPLAUSE]
01:26 I obviously went to a doctor to see what was going on,
01:31 and then they diagnosed me a year later with Tourette's
01:34 syndrome.
01:34 I do get frustrated with my tics when I'm teaching,
01:41 when it's a student who picks up behaviors.
01:45 For example, I hit the desk, and then
01:48 the student with the repeating behaviors also hit the desk,
01:52 and I have to explain, no, you don't
01:54 do that, that's just my involuntary movements.
01:58 Eight.
01:58 [INAUDIBLE]
02:02 You have nine.
02:02 Eight.
02:03 Yes, good.
02:04 It is exhausting to suppress my tics.
02:09 It feels like I'm going to explode.
02:11 They're not painful when I suppress them,
02:13 they're exhausting, but when they come out,
02:15 they are usually painful.
02:17 Some parents, when I first told them that I had Tourette's,
02:20 their initial question was, do you cuss?
02:23 And I just let them know that I do not
02:26 have what is called coprolalia.
02:29 It's actually very rare in people with Tourette's,
02:32 but also if I did have it, we would have to deal with it.
02:36 I definitely think all of the students who are aware
02:40 that I'm neurodivergent, it really
02:42 helps them relate to me, because they struggle to cope in life.
02:49 And seeing that I also struggle, that I'm also
02:52 able to be successful, that helps them to be like,
02:55 oh, OK, I can do this too.
02:58 Hello.
03:01 My husband and I have been married for four years,
03:06 but we've been together for seven years.
03:09 You want me to get the pan?
03:11 Yeah, please.
03:13 Getting the fruits.
03:16 When we first started dating, I let
03:17 him know that I have these habits that I thought they were.
03:22 But a few years later, they got really bad,
03:25 and we just had to navigate that together.
03:30 There's just instances where she'll hit herself,
03:34 or she had one where she would dig her elbow into her leg.
03:37 So in those situations, it was tough to watch,
03:39 because I knew it was painful.
03:41 He's very supportive of me.
03:43 I need more.
03:45 Can you hand me a knife, please?
03:47 My OCD affects my Tourette's in a way
03:50 that I can't tick just one time.
03:54 I have to do it until it feels just right,
03:56 and usually that's four times.
04:00 If it's a painful tick, can't hit myself one time,
04:02 I got to do it four times.
04:04 And that is pretty much every tick
04:07 that I have all day, every day.
04:09 Can I cut one?
04:13 Cut one?
04:14 Sure, be careful, though.
04:16 My two kids respond to my ticks differently.
04:20 My older one, Gavin, he grew up without me having ticks.
04:25 So when they got worse, it was definitely
04:28 an adjustment for him.
04:30 Gavin, it used to be like he constantly
04:33 would ask me to stop making noises,
04:36 but now he's more accepting.
04:37 Where are all these other potions?
04:41 Look, I have a robot.
04:44 My younger child, Gracie, she has grown up
04:47 with me having ticks, so she doesn't even understand
04:51 that I do things differently.
04:53 Hmm?
04:54 Hmm.
04:55 Gavin, do you think your mom is different
04:57 from your friends' moms?
04:59 Um, yeah, because she has ticks.
05:05 She sometimes slaps herself with whistles.
05:08 I feel like that hopefully it doesn't hurt
05:12 when she slaps herself.
05:13 And sometimes I get a little annoyed,
05:16 like if I'm talking and she whistles,
05:19 I get a little annoyed.
05:20 But I try my best to ignore it.
05:24 I definitely worry that people are going to think
05:28 that I'm not a good mom because I have Tourette's.
05:33 What do you hope to teach your kids
05:35 about being different from others?
05:38 That it's OK to be different.
05:40 And they are different.
05:42 We're all neurodivergent.
05:44 They both have ADHD, so they know that they are different
05:48 and their brains work differently, and that's OK.
05:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:52 [LAUGHS]
05:54 We're going to make Gracie's lunch today.
05:58 No.
05:59 I post Tourette's and OCD awareness on my TikTok.
06:04 So I can't move my neck today.
06:07 I can't release my tics the way I need to
06:11 because of the excruciating pain in my neck
06:14 from ticking in the first place.
06:17 I definitely got negative comments that just said I was
06:21 faking or I just wanted attention.
06:26 And it really got to me at first.
06:28 And I did post proof of my diagnosis.
06:32 Like, I'm not faking.
06:33 Look.
06:36 Now everyone is pretty nice and supportive.
06:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:43 OK.
06:44 Sit down.
06:45 [LAUGHTER]
06:48 I think he has to pee.
06:51 The thing that I'm most proud of in my life
06:54 is probably the way that I'm raising my kids
06:57 to be super knowledgeable and inclusive of everyone
07:01 who is different.
07:03 Sorry, that was not too good.
07:05 And also, I get to teach that to my students as well.
07:10 I'm extremely proud of her.
07:12 It takes a lot to come out of your shell.
07:14 So for her to go on TikTok and share her story
07:17 and what she has to deal with every day, I think,
07:20 is huge for her.
07:21 It's OK to be different.
07:23 It's OK to be neurodivergent.
07:25 It doesn't make us any less.
07:28 To a young person with Tourette's or OCD,
07:31 I would say there's also ways to cope.
07:35 You'll be OK.
07:36 I'm OK.
07:37 You'll be OK.
07:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:43 [MUSIC ENDS]
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08:01 [BLANK_AUDIO]