School Psychologists' Training and Knowledge of Tourette Syndrome
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Chapman University Chapman University Digital Commons Educational Studies Dissertations Summer 8-2015 School Psychologists’ Training and Knowledge of Tourette Syndrome Leticia Cornejo Chapman University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/ces_dissertations Part of the Accessibility Commons, Child Psychology Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Other Psychology Commons, and the School Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Cornejo, L. (2015). School psychologists’ training and knowledge of Tourette syndrome (Doctoral dissertation). https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000028 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Chapman University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Chapman University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. School Psychologists’ Training and Knowledge of Tourette Syndrome A Dissertation by Leticia H. Cornejo Chapman University Orange, CA College of Educational Studies Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education: School Psychology August 2015 Committee in charge: Randy T. Busse, Ph.D., Committee Chair John Brady, Ph.D. Dawn Hunter, Ph.D. School Psychologists’ Training and Knowledge of Tourette Syndrome Copyright © 2015 by Leticia H. Cornejo iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have been very blessed to have met so many wonderful people at Chapman University. I am grateful to have been taught by Dr. Brady, Dr. Busse, Dr. Cardinal, Dr. Colbert, Dr. Hass, and Dr. Hunter, who love what they do and genuinely care for their students. I would like to thank Dr. Brady for agreeing to be a part of my dissertation committee. He is the first person I met at Chapman University, and was the reason I chose to study there. Dr. Brady is such a wonderful professor and human being. I will always be grateful for his kind and supportive words before I had to take a leave of absence from the doctoral program. I want to thank him for his warmth and kindness. I would like to thank Dr. Hunter for being so gracious in joining my committee on such short notice. She is such wonderful professor, as well as such a kind and caring person. She too had many kind and encouraging words for me during tough times and always welcomed me back when I attempted to complete the doctoral program. I especially want to thank my dissertation chair, Dr. Busse, for agreeing to be my dissertation chair. He has pushed me and has helped me academically since I first sat in one of his lectures. Throughout my seven years on and off in the doctoral program, he has understood all of the ups and downs that happen throughout life, and always continued to encourage me to GBTW (get back to work)! I am also very grateful for the time he has taken in helping me get through the pre-dissertation process, as well as assisting me in completing my dissertation. He is such an intelligent person with a beautiful heart. Thank you so much for believing in me! iv I would like to thank my sisters, Angelica Aguirre, Mariana Cornejo, and Sylvia Cornejo, for always giving and providing me the support necessary to continue the completion of my dissertation and encouraging me to continue, especially when I wanted to give up. I also want to thank them for their willingness to take care of my children in order for me to complete my dissertation. To my little brother, Adrian Cornejo, thank you for helping me understand the few articles I read that involved genetics. I’m pretty lucky to have such an intelligent brother. I would like to thank my parents, Filiberto and Regina Cornejo, for their unconditional love and endless support in every aspect of my life. They have always made their family their first priority and have worked very hard to teach their children hard work, persistence, and humility. I also want to thank them for taking care of my little boys during the many countless hours I’ve spent working on my schoolwork, especially my dissertation. Les agradezco todo su apoyo en todos los aspectos de mi vida. ¡Los quiero mucho! I want to thank Thomas Bañuelos for being the first person to encourage me to apply for my doctoral degree. He genuinely had faith in me and encouraged me to complete the program “no matter what happens.” I would like to also thank him for reminding me that I had to graduate with my doctorate at the beginning of the dissertation process, the moments he’s told me that he was proud of me, and the constant support and encouragement during these final months. And last but not least, I would like to thank my two beautiful boys, Thomas and Francisco Bañuelos. My children have been the main reason that I have completed my v dissertation and I look forward to having them at my graduation ceremony. I want my little boys to learn that no matter what life brings; you never give up on your dreams. vi ABSTRACT School Psychologists’ Training and Knowledge of Tourette Syndrome by Leticia H. Cornejo A web-based survey was conducted that included 97 practicing school psychologists in California. The results from the survey indicated that the majority (88%) of respondents were knowledgeable about Tourette Syndrome. Many respondents (28%) had never worked with a student with Tourette’s, 20% had at least one case, and 52% indicated that they had worked with more than two cases in their careers as school psychologists. The majority of respondents indicated that their school psychology program did not adequately train them to assess or counsel students with Tourette’s. The majority of participants also did not feel confident to work with students with Tourette’s. As found in the study, school psychologists are in need of training to better serve children with Tourette Syndrome. Children, whether diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome or not, may exhibit difficulties making academic progress because of tic related issues, as well as comorbid disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Schools typically are where students spend many hours of their day, and where those who are knowledgeable about Tourette’s can identify and provide needed supports depending on the student’s needs. Therefore, school psychologists play a key role in facilitating proper education regarding Tourette’s to vii students, teachers, staff, and families, as well as providing academic, behavioral, emotional, and social support a student may need. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: Introduction ......................................................................................1 Statement of Problem .........................................................................................1 Research Questions.............................................................................................2 Significance of Study..........................................................................................2 CHAPTER II: Literature Review ............................................................................4 Literature Search.................................................................................................4 Clinical Discovery of Tourette Syndrome..........................................................5 Tourette Syndrome .............................................................................................6 Characteristics of Tourette Syndrome ............................................................7 Prevalence.......................................................................................................11 Etiology of Tourette Syndrome ......................................................................12 Genetics ..........................................................................................................13 Neurology and Pathophysiology .........................................................................14 Comorbid Disorders ............................................................................................18 Tourette Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ................19 Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder..............................20 Tourette Syndrome and Cognition .................................................................20 Assessment of Tourette Syndrome......................................................................22 School Psychologists’ Assessment of Tourette Syndrome..................................25 Treatment.............................................................................................................26 Psychopharmacology.......................................................................................26 Behavioral Therapies.......................................................................................30 School Based Interventions .............................................................................35 School Psychologists’ Experience with Tourette Syndrome...............................40 Chapter Summary................................................................................................42 CHAPTER III: Research Methodology..................................................................43 Ethics ...................................................................................................................43 Procedure.............................................................................................................43