Super Taldo: the famous case of the Chilean child with Tourette Syndrome
Agustín Arenas Cardozo known as Super Taldo , is the protagonist of a very popular video in Chile that was recorded 41 years ago and that recently (a few years ago) went viral on the internet.
The interview was conducted by the journalist Bernardo de la Maza to a boy who, at that time, was 14 years old, and was receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital because he suffered from Tourette Syndrome.
The interview was conducted on April 12, 1974 for TVN, but was not issued to safeguard the dignity of the small Agustín, who at that time had strong tics and uttered profanity due to his pathology. The recording remained hidden until, at the peak of social networks, the video was leaked and circulated through different pages. It became a viral video because of its striking behavior.
Who is Super Taldo?
Agustín Gerardo Arenas Cardozo is a Chilean character who was born in 1960 and is better known as Super Taldo or AGAC (your initials). He became famous for a video that was popularized on the Internet in which he appeared because he suffered from Tourette Syndrome. Curiously, the initials of the Tourette Syndrome disease coincide with those of Super Taldo.
When the interview was conducted, Agustín was 14 years old. The interviewer was the reporter Bernardo De la Maza, ex-newscaster of TVN. Agustin suffered from Tourette's syndrome and the interviewer found a child who suffered nervous tics and shouted inappropriate words, which is called coprolalia. Despite suffering from this condition, Agustín was like a restless, dreamer, sincere and intelligent person .
A report that went viral on the internet
During the interview in audiovisual format, the reporter can be appreciated very calm, while Agustín repeats inappropriate words. Agustín claims to be an amateur writer and comic creator. In fact, he receives the nickname of Super Taldo for a character created by himself to which he gave that name. The character of Super Taldo is, in the words of Agustín himself, a superhero of a novel created by himself, which deals with crime, injustice and discrimination.
The reason that the video never came to light until a few years ago was the inappropriate language that Agustín Arenas involuntarily used. The report finally became public about 25 years later, after a leak in the National Television of Chile. Some time later it was posted on the Internet, where it quickly became viral due to the strange behavior shown by the young Super Taldo .
Below you can see the report of Super Taldo that went viral:
What is Tourette Syndrome?
The Tourette syndrome or S Gilles de Tourette syndrome (It is named after Georges Gilles de Tourette, who was the first to describe this disorder in 1885) is a neurological disorder that is characterized by the person who suffers performs involuntary movements and sounds without a specific purpose .
These movements are repeated intermittently, and in stress situations, they tend to increase. Some of the sounds may include inappropriate language (for example, insults or obscenities). The first symptoms usually appear between eight and eleven years of age. Males are three to four times more likely to have Tourette Syndrome than women.
There is no scientific consensus regarding the causes, although some hypotheses suggest that its origin may be associated with a chemical alteration in some regions of the brain (alterations in the amount of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin). Different investigations have concluded that Tourette Syndrome is a hereditary disease.
You can know more about this condition in our article: "Tourette syndrome: what is it and how does it manifest?"Super Taldo nowadays
But what happened to Super Taldo? What is the life of this character? Many wonder if Agustín still suffers Tourette Syndrome or if, instead, he has managed to rebuild his life without the presence of tics. In 2004, thanks to a program of the Chilean television, Súper Taldo appeared again in televising format. Agustín is still living in the Conchalí community, but he has the disease controlled thanks to the treatment he has followed and the three operations he has undergone. It hardly presents tics, although it still suffers some involuntary reflex.
Agustín tells us that what has really helped him has been the phosphorus therapy , which consists of building phosphorus models to learn how to control tics. At present, Agustín Arenas has a daughter, works in a packaging company and practices cycling.
Do not miss the recovered Super Taldo video shown below . An example of courage, dignity and struggle of this man.
