Front of the Class is inspired by the true story of Brad Cohen, a young man diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome who overcomes considerable odds to become a gifted teacher.
When he was growing up, Brad started making funny noises - all the time. Only Brad and his supportive mother knew he couldn't control it. He was teased, misunderstood and punished for disrupting class.
By the time he is diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, Brad has learned to hate school. When an understanding school principal offers encouragement, amazingly, Brad decides to become a teacher - the teacher he never had. But who in their right mind would put someone with Tourette's in front of the class?
Even after 24 schools turned him down, Brad refused to give up. Discover what happens when one school finally gives him a chance. Brad Cohen's resilience and determination changed his life. His story may change yours.
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. The disorder is named for Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, the pioneering French neurologist who in 1885 first described the condition in an 86-year-old French noblewoman.
The early symptoms of TS are almost always noticed first in childhood, with the average onset between the ages of 7 and 10 years. TS occurs in people from all ethnic groups; males are affected about three to four times more often than females. It is estimated that 200,000 Americans have the most severe form of TS, and as many as one in 100 exhibit milder and less complex symptoms such as chronic motor or vocal tics or transient tics of childhood. Although TS can be a chronic condition with symptoms lasting a lifetime, most people with the condition experience their worst symptoms in their early teens, with improvement occurring in the late teens and continuing into adulthood.