Georgia has a haven for young people with Tourette’s syndrome. At the Camp Twitch and Shout, special youngsters can have utopia all to themselves, even for just one summer week.

Located east of Atlanta, Twitch and Shout is one of just five such camps in the US. Campers engage in various fun activities, but always with ample time to indulge their tics. Best of all, they can bond with like-minded persons, far removed from ridicule and jeering of other people.

The camp was founded in 2008 by Brad Cohen, who was diagnosed with the condition in fifth grade. Now an elementary schoolteacher, he serves as the camp’s director, extending a 13-year work on helping children with this condition. He wrote a book on the syndrome when he was 35.

Many of the participants have been objects of mockery; some were even unaware they have peers until they went to camp. Like them, Cohen had an uneasy time growing up. He remembers eating lunch alone at school, while other children threw taunts on him. One teacher even made a young Cohen say sorry in class for the barks he otherwise had no control over. But Cohen not only barked; he chomped his teeth, rapidly blinked his eyes, and twitched his arms.

His tics peaked in middle school, also around the time he realized not all teachers were prejudiced. The school principal requested him to enlighten his schoolmates about the disorder. That single speech elicited a standing ovation, a turning point in Cohen’s life. “It was on that day that I realized the power of education. … I wanted to be the teacher that focused on kids’ strengths, not weaknesses,” he said.

His camp aims to validate participants and let them know they are not alone, boosting their self-esteem in time for school opening in September. Even as they enjoy themselves, campers can let all their eccentricities in the open.

Tourette syndrome is a disorder of the nerve system, which causes people to make involuntary movements and noises, called “tics.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it afflicts three out of 1,000 children. Symptoms usually abate as children grow older.