Top University of Queensland speech pathology student harnesses Tourette’s diagnosis

Lachlan Scott will graduate this weekend top of UQ’s speech pathology class, despite the challenges his condition has created during his four-year degree.

UQ speech pathology student Lachlan Scott will graduate on Saturday as valedictorian. Photo: Zak Simmonds.

He was mercilessly bullied in primary school and nicknamed “spaz attack” due to his Tourette’s syndrome, but this weekend Lachlan Scott will graduate as the University of Queensland’s top speech pathology student.

For most of his degree, the 22-year-old hid his condition. While visiting patients on industry placements, he held his tics in until after he left the patient’s home, then he would release and sit in the car ticking uncontrollably in agony.

“I’ve only really in the last 12 months reconciled myself as someone with Tourette’s with myself as a clinician,” he said.

“I used to be so petrified that if clients noticed me ticking or found out that I have Tourette’s that they might trust me less or it might undermine that relationship.”

Mr Scott was diagnosed at age 10.

“They (tics) tend to change throughout your lifetime,” he said.

“When I was a child I had a dry heave, blowing air up at my nose, and throat clearing. Now my tics are a ‘hmm hmm’ sound, but for the most part it is a shirt pull and shoulder spasm.”

Mr Scott is medicated, which has made his Tourette’s manageable.

But it does flare up when he is stressed or anxious, but he copes through deep breathing and meditation.

There are 95 students in his graduating class, but only seven are males – which is more than previous years. He will graduate as valedictorian.

Mr Scott has been interning at Hear and Say in Ashgrove, which specialises in supporting people of all ages with hearing loss through audiology and speech pathology.

Hear and Say have offered him a full-time position next year as a speech pathologist.

“We’re working with people that have assistive listening devices like hearing aids, cochlear implants, or bone conduction devices, to help them learn to listen for the first time, and how to speak and how to communicate,” Mr Scott said.

Hear and Say head of listening and spoken language Lynda Farwell said Mr Scott was “an outstanding candidate” when interviewed.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure supporting Lachlan to this point and we look forward to next year once his formal qualifications come through and everything goes ahead as his trajectory of learning steepens as a speech pathologist,” she said.

Hear and Say's Lynda Farwell will be working even closer with Lachlan next year when he starts full-time as one of their speech pathologists. Photo: Zak Simmonds.

UQ speech pathology lecturer Adriana Penman got to know Mr Scott in the past year and described him as “a passionate, engaged and grateful student”.

“He has lived experience in communication difficulties and that puts him in great stead to become a great clinician,” Dr Penman said.

“He can show clients and families they can overcome their communication difficulties and achieve their own goals or aspirations.”

Mr Scott said his graduation was the end of one phase of his life, but the start of an exciting new chapter.

“I’m incredibly excited about the day, but I also feel a little melancholic about leaving that part of my life behind, it was a tremendous four years,” he said.

“But I’ve got so much next year to look forward to that I’m just as excited about starting.”