Elective mutism: involvement of the mother in the treatment of the child

Innovative Analyses and Interventions in the Treatment of Selective Mutism

The authors present a successful, 25-session, multidimensional intervention for the treatment of selectivemutismin a 6-year-old male with a 1-year observational follow-up. They also include an evaluative review of the extant literature of the treatment of selective mutism from 1950 to the present. Their assessment approach utilized behavioral, cognitive, systems, and psychodynamic components. Treatment efficacy was assessed through videotaped observation of behavioral time-samples of the client during therapeutic interaction, self-report, parental report, and real-time behavioral observations at school. Results indicated a significant increase in verbal behaviors during therapy sessions, paired t(17) = 2.31, p= .033. In addition, the client was observed to be verbally interacting with peers and teachers at school at 1-year follow-up. These results suggest that the authors’ multidimensional approach to the treatment of selectivemutismmay offer a successful, brief intervention for those families in which parents decline use of pharmacotherapy in a child.

The Quiet Child: A Literature Review of Selective Mutism

Selective mutism is an unusual but intriguing condition with a reputation for being particularly intractable to intervention. Originally described as 'elective mutism', selective mutism is a heterogeneous disorder associated with a number of individual and family factors including developmental disorders/delay; particular temperamental and personality characteristics; and other co-morbid symptoms and psychiatric disorders. Considered by some in the past as an oppositional disorder, it is the proposal that SM might be a childhood manifestation of an anxiety disorder such as social phobia that has influenced recent developments in the use of behavioural and drug interventions.

A brief review of selective mutism literature

Selective mutism is a disorder characterized by a persistent failure to speak in certain social situations. It is typically diagnosed in childhood, and the disorder can last from just a few months to several years in some individuals. Debate surrounds the origins and causes of this disorder. Recent literature suggests that selective mutism may be a form of social phobia. The present article is a brief review of the literature on the etiology, assessment, comorbid diagnoses, and treatment perspectives from several theoretical orientations, including behavioral, family systems, and psychopharmacological.

Is selective mutism an anxiety disorder? Rethinking its DSM-IV classification

The relationship between selective mutism (SM) and childhood anxiety disorders is illustrated through an examination of their temperamental, environmental, and biological etiologies. SM is also explored as a symptom of the specific anxiety disorders of social phobia, separation anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The etiology and symptom overlap demonstrates SM as being an anxiety disorder or a variant of a specific anxiety disorder. The conceptualization of SM as an anxiety disorder is helpful in effectively treating afflicted children. There is enough evidence in the current literature to challenge the current classification, from the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of SM as an Other Disorder of Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence.

Selective Mutism in Elementary School

Selective mutism is an infrequent phenomenon, often first identified in the school setting. This article presents the historical background for the treatment of selective mutism and current diagnostic symptoms of selective mutism, and then elaborates with a case study illustrating successful multidisciplinary treatment outcomes of a child who was selectively mute. Issues relevant to speech-language pathologists working with elementary school children are discussed, and treatment guidelines are provided.

Elective Mutism

Elective mutism is a "persistent refusal to talk in one or more major social situations&despite [the] ability to comprehend spoken language and to speak" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 89). This article serves as a tutorial, providing information on elective mutism, a disorder potentially encountered by speech-language pathologists typically inexperienced in its diagnosis and management. It is the first article concerning elective mutism in a major speech-language pathology journal since the 1950s. The history, characteristics, classification, differential diagnosis, and treatment of elective mutism are discussed.

A guided bibliography of the selective mutism (elective mutism) literature

This guided bibliography of 122 articles on selective mutism covers nearly all of the English language publications on the topic. Index Medicus and Psychological Abstracts were the major source documents for the citations.