Specht, Matt W., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Tic and Repetitive Behavior Disorders Clinic Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Main Office Address Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Bloomberg Children’s Center, 12th Floor The Johns Hopkins Hospital 1800 Orleans Street Baltimore, MD 21287 Phone: 410-614-4236 Fax: 410-955-8691 Email:mspecht1@jhmi.edu

Education

Professional Interests

Dr. Specht is interested in empirically-supported behavioral and cognitive behavioral treatments for Tourette’s and tic disorders as well as common comorbid psychiatric conditions (e.g., Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD], Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [OCD], and anxiety disorders). He has developed the Tic and Repetitive Behaviors Disorders Specialty Clinic within the Pediatric Medical Psychology Program. His research is focused on examining the means through which behavioral treatments result in sustained reductions in tic symptoms. He is the Principal Investigator of the Tourette Syndrome Association-funded Prolonged Tic Suppression and Habituation to the Premonitory Urge. He was involved with the  Tourette Syndrome Association’s large-NIMH funded Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) study. 

Selected Publications

Specht, M.W., Pierce-Keeton, C.., Walkup, J.T. (2008). Childhood Disorders: Tic Disorders, in Psychiatry, third edition, Tasman A, Kay J, Lieberman J, First MB , and Maj M (eds.), John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, volume 1, pp 847-867.

 Piacentini, J., Woods, D. W., Scahill, L., Wilhelm, S., Peterson, A. L., Chang, S., . . . Walkup, J.   T. (2010). Behavior therapy for children with Tourette Disorder: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 303, 1929-1937.

Specht, M. W., Woods, D. W., Piacenti, J., Scahill, L., Wilhelm, S., Peterson, A. L., . . . Walkup, J. T. (2011). Clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with a primary tic disorder. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 23 (1), 15-31.

Woods, D. W., Piacenti, J. C., Scahill, L., Peterson, A. L., Wilhelm, S., Chang, S., . . .Specht, M…Walkup, J.     T. (2011). Behavior therapy for tics in children: Acute and long-term effects on psychiatric and psychosocial functioning. Journal of Child Neurology, 26, 858-865.