In his stiff button-down uniform, John Davidson sat at a desk in a new school.
When the teacher called on him to read aloud, instead of reading the words on the page, he spat out a four-letter curse word as his neck twitched and made jerking motions he couldn’t control.
Laughter rippled through the room.
That scene, depicted in the film “I Swear,” reflects Davidson’s early days in Great Britain growing up with Tourette syndrome.
The film brought tears to the eyes of Rye High School junior Lex Fogarty, 16, who himself has Tourette, though a variation with less dramatic symptoms. For him, the condition involves minor tics and movements, but he does not curse or yell offensive words involuntarily, as Davidson does in the film.
Fogarty is a youth ambassador for the Tourette Association of America’s New York Hudson Valley chapter. He participated in a panel discussion that followed the premiere of the film on April 24 at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. The film, he said, provides an opportunity to educate the public about this little-understood disorder.
“Right at the beginning, when all semblance of support had effectively vanished … the idea of just being totally unknown and misunderstood, I found very devastating,” he said.
Fogarty said that growing up with Tourette syndrome was made easier by having an older brother, Andrew, 22, who had the same disorder and helped guide him early on.
“It was super important,” he said. “The very first thing my brother taught me was to be the truest version of yourself. Be forthcoming with your diagnosis. There’s no sense in waiting to tic before you explain it.”
Taking that advice, Fogarty opened up to his friends in fifth grade after receiving his diagnosis. He recalled how classmates would ask, “Why are you blinking, why are you moving?” and said that being able to explain himself was freeing.
From that point on, he noted, “it almost faded into the background.” While he still experiences “very mild tics for the most part,” he emphasized that education made the biggest difference.
“The more I’ve talked about it, the easier it has become for me,” he said.
As a youth ambassador, Fogarty has visited schools across the region, including a recent trip to New York City, speaking with students and faculty about Tourette syndrome.
“The most important thing that we do there is truly just helping them conceptualize it in a way where you help to reduce the stigma,” he said. “Everyone is curious. They all want to know and learn. Across the board, it really is just focused on education.”
He also highlighted the organization’s buddy program, where he works with younger kids who have been recently diagnosed.
Reflecting on his own experience, Fogarty said, “I was very lucky to have a mentor, and I think that was invaluable in helping me adjust and continue to strive in life.”
Continuing that cycle of support, he said, is at the heart of his work.
Fogarty was joined on the panel by Dr. Helene Walisever, a member of the Tourette Association of America’s Education Advisory Board, and Dr. Ronald I. Jacobson, a neurologist who treats patients with Tourette syndrome.
“I Swear” is based on the real-life story of Davidson, tracing his life from age 14 in 1983 to 2019 when he received an award from Queen Elizabeth for his work as an advocate and educator.
In people with Tourette’s, a neurological condition, the brain sends signals that trigger involuntary movements and sounds called tics. Many of the more extreme symptoms depicted in Davidson’s story are the result of coprolalia, which involves the uncontrollable utterance of words or phrases that may be socially inappropriate or out of context. Coprolalia affects only about 10 percent of those with Tourette syndrome.
The film depicts many heartbreaking moments in Davidson’s life, most often when his involuntary behaviors are misunderstood by his parents, teachers, classmates, passersby, police, and even a court judge.
At one point at school, Davidson spat his food out and was punished with a slap on his palm.
On a first date, he blurted profanity and made involuntary movements that ruined the occasion. His tics overtook him on the soccer field, erasing any chance of being noticed by scouts — and leaving his father visibly disappointed.
At key points, however, two individuals offer him acceptance, encouraging him to embrace who he is and use his experiences to help others.
“There was a realness to it,” Fogarty said. “The humility behind it, the honesty.”
Added Walisever: “What was so authentic was how the social stigma was just as painful, if not more painful, than the actual tics themselves. An important mission of the Tourette Association is education and advocacy — helping people understand differences and teaching them how to offer support. That’s exactly what Lex does as an ambassador.”
Chris Holliday, director of special programs at the Burns, moderated the post-film discussion and asked the panelists for their reactions to the film.
Walisever said she found the scene where Davidson led his first Tourette support group at a community center particularly touching because it reminded her of the relief she and her family once found in a similar setting.
Jacobson reflected on how his understanding of Tourette syndrome has evolved since he first studied it in medical school in the 1970s.
“My main takeaway message from this film is not to let the diagnosis define who you are,” he said. “The person comes first, then the diagnosis. He was not acknowledged as a person, and that was poignantly demonstrated.”
