Communication Apprehension and Oral Communication Strategies of Individuals with Tourette's Syndrome: A Self-Report

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental condition in which an individual confronts various social and performance-related challenges due to the involuntary motor and vocal tics (Aldred & Cavanna, 2015; Yuryeva, Shusterman, Varshavskyi, & Malyshko, 2019; Averns, Jakubec, Thomas, & Link, 2012; Cutler, Murphy, Gilmour, & Heyman, 2009). Extant research report that individuals with TS experience depression, behavioral issues, social isolation, and speech dys-fluencies as a result of their desire and inability to control the tics. One of the most distinctive effects of TS is severe anxiety which immensely affects an individual’s quality of life (Houghton, Alexander, & Woods, 2015; Evans, Seri, & Cavanna, 2016). However, no known study was done to determine the effect of anxiety to one’s communication abilities. Hence, this case study aims to extend the research on anxiety experienced by TS patients to their confidence and ability in communicating with others. Specifically, the study is designed to determine the communication apprehension levels of TS patients and the oral communication strategies that they would adopt during interactions. The patients’ communication apprehension levels will be measured using the Personal Report on Communication Apprehension (Mörtberg et al., 2018) and the oral communication strategies will be determined through Nakatani’s (2006) self-report Oral Communication Strategy Inventory. This ongoing study will not only shed light on the communication challenges of the TS patients, but will also unravel their strengths as communicators despite and inspite of their tics.