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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Lawrence Scahill, MSN, PhD, Child Study Center, Yale University, 230 S. Frontage Rd, PO Box 207900, New Haven, CT 06520, 203-785-5880, lawrence.scahill@yale.edu

Tics are common in school-age children affecting 4% to 24% in this population. Of these children, most only show transient tics. The estimated prevalence of Tourette syndrome (TS) also varies from 5 to 300 per 10,000. From a public health perspective, this level of imprecision in the estimate of prevalence is unsatisfactory because it fails to provide guidance on the service needs of affected children. Fortunately, the consensus emerging from several recent studies narrows the estimate to a range of 10 to 100 per 10,000. A review of these studies indicates that more recent studies have used better sampling and assessment methods resulting in a higher estimate of prevalence. These findings also support the notion that TS resides on a continuum from mild to more severe forms. Thus, the estimate of prevalence is highly influenced by the symptom threshold used to define the disorder: if children with milder forms of TS are defined as true cases, the prevalence will increase. An important remaining consideration is whether the presence of tics– even mild tics – places a child at higher risk for disruptive behavioral problems and perhaps learning. This presentation reviews prevalence studies and considers the disability associated with TS. The presentation also examines the potential limitations of viewing developmental and psychiatric disorders on a continuum.

Learning Objectives:

• identify the best estimate for the prevalence of TS in school-age children;
• identify the impact of diagnostic threshold on the estimate of prevalence
• identify the disability that is associated with TS in both community and clinical samples.

Keywords: Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Epidemiology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No