2025 Annual Report

PATIENT CARE PATIENT CARE, QUALITY & SAFETY Neurology Movement Disorders Clinic at Children’s of Alabama offers CBIT therapy. Founded by Dure in 1994, the clinic has been a focal point for pediatric movement disorder care in the South. “Identifying which treatments were effective in childhood can assist in planning treatment during adulthood.”

NAVIGATING THE TRANSITION TO ADULT CARE

MARISSA DEAN, M.D.

While many children experience a significant reduction in tics over time, not all cases resolve by adolescence. For some, TS may continue into adulthood, often requiring a transition and need for adult care methods and a shift in strategies. TS symptoms are most severe during childhood. Therefore, symptoms can vary over one’s lifespan, meaning effectiveness of treatments may change as someone ages. “For adults who were diagnosed with TS as children, it is important to review treatments that were tried when they were a child and during adulthood,” said Marissa Dean, M.D., associate professor in the UAB Department of Neurology. “Identifying which treatments were effective in childhood can assist in planning treatment during adulthood.” Dean says co-occurring conditions, often present since childhood, play a key role in managing the disorder over time. Unlike in pediatric care, where CBIT is often the first line of treatment, adults with TS may find medication a

more practical option. Unfortunately, gaps in care can emerge after patients leave pediatric services, especially when it comes to therapy access, including, time and schedule constraints, and insurance coverage. “It is more challenging to coordinate non-medication treatment like CBIT due to busy work schedules and/or family obligations,” Dean said. “That’s why medication-based treatments may be used more often when compared to the approach to treatment of childhood TS.” At UAB, pediatric and adult movement disorders neurologists have a collaborative relationship in order to ensure a smooth handoff from pediatric to adult care when the decision is made. ●

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CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA | UAB MEDICINE