Ewbank, Shawn Christopher. Conceptualization of children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome and a complex presentation of comorbidity. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3D21XDF
DescriptionTourette Syndrome (TS) is a disorder that begins in childhood. Children and adolescents with TS are commonly affected by a complex picture of comorbid disorders. Psychological conceptualization and treatment of children and adolescents with TS is a challenge for many clinicians. In response to this challenge, this project serves as a Conceptualization Guide for mental health clinicians who are working with children and adolescents with TS. The Guide is intended to aid the psychological treatment of individuals with TS by providing detailed instructions on how to conceptualize a TS case. To do so, the Guide provides information that is intended to foster an understanding of the etiological and maintaining factors of reported problems. Also, the Guide describes a structured approach to assessing, formulating, and treatment planning for a TS case. This approach includes the administration of a detailed assessment questionnaire that consists of a General Questionnaire and five Modules that are administered based on clinical judgment of necessity. The General Questionnaire consists of questions that help the clinician to gain a comprehensive picture of the history and current functioning of the child with TS. The five modules address the following comorbidities: ADHD, OCD, Anxiety Disorders, Depression and Behavioral Problems. Lastly, the Guide discusses how the assessment questionnaire forms can be used in conjunction with a computer database to track individual client data on the various targeted problems as a means to measure treatment progress and results.