Treating Selective Mutism as a Speech-Language Pathologist

Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in which children are able to communicate appropriately in at least one context, but struggle in other settings or with other communication partners. SM profoundly affects social/pragmatic language skills, as well as academic and social-emotional skills, and treatment of this disorder falls under the speech-language pathologist’s scope of practice. The current presentation will discuss characteristics of SM and the role of the SLP in working with students with SM, review evidence-based treatment approaches and techniques, provide guidance regarding how to progress through therapy for children with varying severity levels of SM, discuss specific activities that can be utilized in therapy, and provide attendees with the opportunity to practice new skills and techniques.