https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/wards-and-departments/departments/clinical-specialties/department-child-and-adolescent-mental-health-dcamh/the-tic-disorder-service/training-and-research/

Training and research

The Tics Service provides specialist training for professionals working with children and young people with tics.

Courses include a wealth of material frequently used to provide psychoeducation to young people and their families, reviews of the literature, background information on Tourette syndrome and practical materials to help attendees discuss and work effectively with young people with tics and their families.

A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Treatment for Tics – training days

This is an online two-day package for clinicians within NHS Trusts across the country delivering training in using gold-standard assessment measures and behavioural interventions (Exposure and Response Prevention and Habit Reversal Training) for children and young people with tics and Tourette syndrome.

The course includes training videos, live demonstrations and take-home treatment manuals.

Following the training, attendees are invited to attend two online consultation sessions, where they can bring specific cases for discussion and reflect on ways to further improve the delivery of treatment.

Feedback from the September 2022 course highlighted the following benefits:

  • highly comprehensive course
  • easily applicable knowledge from expert clinicians
  • a welcoming and supportive environment
  • clinicians developed their abilities to confidently deliver assessments and interventions for Tourette syndrome after the training
  • others intend to develop their own psychoeducational groups for families in their services using the material provided

Research

The Tics Service is a research-active team. We are currently involved in the following collaborative research studies:

Tic Genetics

This study includes scientists and clinicians specialising in Tourette syndrome from more than 20 sites across the Unites States, Europe and South Korea. Tic Genetics aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette syndrome using a family-based approach.

This will greatly contribute to our understanding of Tourette syndrome and may help develop new therapies in the future.

Read more about the Tic Genetics studies.

SATURN Study- Stimulant Medication for ADHD and Tics - Understanding Response versus Non-stimulants (SATURN)

This is a national randomised trial looking at the clinical and cost-effectiveness of medications (methylphenidate versus guanfacine) for ADHD in children and young people with a co-existing tic disorder. The aim of this research is to compare stimulant (modified-release methylphenidate) with non-stimulant medication (guanfacine extended release) in treating children and young people who are experiencing both ADHD and tics.

Find out more information about the SATURN Study.

ORBIT Study

The Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study (‘ORBIT’ for short) was a four-year project funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment. This project involved working with young people and their families to test out two new online behavioural treatments for tics and Tourette syndrome.

This project was a collaboration between the University of Nottingham, NIHR MindTech MedTech Co-operative, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College London, and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

The second part of this study will be available to read about soon.

Find out more information about the ORBIT Study.

If you or your child would like to take part in any of the research projects listed above, please discuss this with a clinician from the Tics Service. Your participation is always entirely voluntary, and whether you choose to participate or not, your clinical care will not be affected.

Any information gathered may be used anonymously for research purposes to improve our understanding and lead to better treatments for other children and families in the future.

Recent publications

The Tics Service works closely with the Research Team at The UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. Collectively they are interested in researching many aspects of Tourette syndrome including genetic factors as well as clinical interventions that benefit young people and families.

Please see below three of the teams’ most recent publications:

  • Hadji-Michael, M., Catanzano, M., McAllister, E., Heyman, I., Lack, O., Murphy, T., & Gilmour, J. (2023). Applying an Established Exposure Response Prevention Protocol for Young People With Tourette Syndrome in an Intensive, Group Format: A Feasibility Study. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1-14.
  • Hollis, C., Hall, C. L., Khan, K., Jones, R., Marston, L., …Heyman, I., ... & Murphy, T. (2023). Long‐term clinical and cost‐effectiveness of a therapist‐supported online remote behavioural intervention for tics in children and adolescents: extended 12‐and 18‐month follow‐up of a single‐blind randomised controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 64(6), 941-951.
  • Pringsheim, T., Ganos, C., Nilles, C., …, Heyman, I., Liang, H., …, Murphy, T., ... & Martino, D. (2023). European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome 2022 criteria for clinical diagnosis of functional tic-like behaviours: International consensus from experts in tic disorders. European Journal of Neurology, 30(4), 902-910.