The TAA was founded in 1972 as the TSA by five couples, parents of children with Tourette syndrome including Bill and Eleanor Pearl,[1][2] along with psychiatrist Arthur K. Shapiro and his wife, Elaine.
[5] The TAA's mission is to identify the cause of, find the cure for and control the effects of Tourette syndrome.
[6] The TSA was "the major driving force in scientific and clinical progress relevant to TS", using its resources to encourage research and scientific initiatives,[7] and working tirelessly to promote information about TS.
[1] It worked for recognition of Tourette syndrome as an organic disorder, lobbying the public, the government, and physicians.
[8] Many new research findings are the direct result of the organization's "active facilitation of large collaborative research consortia in genetics, neuro-imaging, clinical trials, and the behavioral sciences", and their "concerted effort to identify current research advances, disseminate them among the scientific and clinical communities, and establish networks of basic and clinical scientists from all over the world".