Tic Treatment Goes Tech: A Review of TicHelper.com

TicHelper.com ("TicHelper") is an interactive online treatment program for youth with chronic tic disorders (CTDs) or Tourette Syndrome (TS) and their parents. It is based on Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), an individual, outpatient therapy protocol shown to effectively reduce tics in randomized controlled trials. The TicHelper website offers a user-friendly dashboard that is effective in making it easy to navigate through different treatment modules. Modules parallel core CBIT procedures and consist of interactive exercises, informational videos, and self-report ratings. TicHelper has some weaknesses (e.g., no outcomes research specific to the program has been published to date); however, its strengths (easily navigable, clear instructions, appropriate content) outweigh its weaknesses, making it a potentially useful dissemination tool to make CBIT more accessible to families and youth with tics.