The ABC’s of Treating the Selectively Mute Child
Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum
Length: Minimum 2 hours.
Recommended length: 3 or more hours

Mutism is just one of the many symptoms that our anxious children exhibit. In fact, Selective Mutism is a communication anxiety with various anxiety levels in different settings, which dictate the child’s ability to communicate verbally, nonverbally or at all! To successfully treat SM children and enable them to develop the proper coping skills to conquer life's trial and tribulations, treatment must incorporate the whole-child approach.
This seminar will begin with background information such as precipitating and propagating factors Selective Mutism.

Emphasis will then shift towards helping our children accomplish the first step in overcoming their SM; Acknowledging and Assessing their anxiety. Detailed methods to accomplish this step will be presented, followed by examples from actual cases. A detailed discussion will then elaborate on the variety of anxiety lowering methods (behavioral therapy, play therapy, talk therapy, alternative treatments, medication, etc) to help Lower Anxiety, Build Self esteem and increase social Confidence and Communication in a variety of settings.
Participants will gain understanding of the treatment process used in developing an individualized treatment plan. From information presented on the different types of SM children, the multitude of tactics and techniques and the examples of individual case studies/discussions it will become clear that using our children's 'individual' personality traits to conquer their fears/anxiety is a viable and successful approach that enables children to take control of their anxiety and develop the necessary coping skills.