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ERIC Number: EJ1478287
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1368-2822
EISSN: EISSN-1460-6984
Available Date: 2025-05-28
Communication and Psychosocial Functioning in Children with Tourette Syndrome: Parent-Reported Measures
Angela Feehan1; Paola Colozzo2; Lesley Pritchard1; Veronica Smith1; Monique Charest1
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, v60 n4 e70056 2025
Background: Previous studies indicate that a subset of children with Tourette syndrome (TS) experiences communication difficulties; however, the specific characteristics of these challenges remain underexplored. Aims: This study aimed to (1) quantify the proportion of children with TS within a North American cohort exhibiting communication challenges as assessed by a standardized parent questionnaire, (2) determine how many children with parent-reported communication challenges had been diagnosed with a communication disorder, (3) examine the relationship between parent-reported co-occurring conditions and parent-reported communication skills, and (4) evaluate the association between parent-reported communication skills and parent-reported psychosocial functioning. Methods and Procedures: Questionnaires were distributed to parents in North America through TS-focused social media groups and organizations (United States and Canada) and Canadian medical clinics specializing in TS care. Data collected included demographic information, information on tic severity and co-occurring conditions, parent-reported communication function using the Children's Communication Checklist, Second Edition (CCC-2), and psychosocial function using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: The questionnaire was completed by 61 parents of children with TS. On the CCC-2, 62% of children obtained scores consistent with age-appropriate communication skills, while 38% obtained scores suggestive of communication challenges (> 1SD below the mean on general communication and/or social-pragmatic communication). Ten percent of children were reported to have a formal language disorder diagnosis. A significant correlation was observed between communication proficiency and psychosocial functioning: lower scores for general and social-pragmatic communication skills were associated with increased psychosocial difficulties (r = -0.44, p < 0.001). Notably, the presence of specific co-occurring conditions did not predict general communication or social-pragmatic communication challenges. Conclusion and Implications: Speech-language pathologists (S-LPs) should anticipate that most children with TS will exhibit age-appropriate communication development; however, a substantial proportion will present with communication challenges in formal language and/or social communication. Medical practitioners are advised to promptly refer children for speech-language evaluation upon identifying potential communication challenges, particularly among those demonstrating heightened psychosocial difficulties. Comprehensive assessment by S-LPs should encompass both core language and social-communication dimensions.
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States; Canada
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; 2University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada