Habit Reversal Training: A Treatment Option for Tourette Disorder

Habit reversal training was associated with a significant reduction from baseline in tic severity.

Tourette disorder (TD) affects about 6 per 1000 children. The motor tics and vocalizations (e.g., throat clearing and grunts) that define TD typically start during elementary school years, peak in severity during early adolescence, and decline in young adulthood. Social isolation and coexisting attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders and anxiety disorders are common in children with TD. Research is limited on behavioral therapies for TD, including biofeedback, relaxation, hypnosis, and habit reversal training (HRT). Small studies with limited follow-up suggest that HRT reduces tic severity.

Researchers conducted a randomized observer-blind trial in 126 children (age range, 6–17 years) with TD or chronic tic disorder of moderate or greater …

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics