MindTS-Net: A multimodal mindfulness-based intervention framework for children with Tourette syndrome.

Abstract

Tourette syndrome affects children's daily functioning and creates a need for supervised support that responds to tic behaviors, emotional states, and interaction contexts. We developed MindTS-MMD, a Chinese multimodal dataset capturing emotion, tic-related behaviors, interaction context, and Valence-Arousal ratings, and MindTS-Net, a supervised digital adjunct linking multimodal emotion perception, mindfulness strategy planning, child-appropriate guidance generation, and dialogue-state tracking. Evaluation included dataset benchmarking, a 14-day primary clinical study with 60 children, and an independent external validation cohort of 57 children from a second clinical center. MindTS-Net improved emotion perception, strategy selection, and guidance quality compared with baseline approaches. In the primary study, children receiving MindTS-Net showed favorable Valence-Arousal changes and reduced tic burden. External validation showed consistent directions across perception, strategy, guidance, and intervention outcomes. These findings suggest that supervised multimodal digital support can complement pediatric tic management and provide a foundation for future multi-center research.