When Silence Isn't Golden,
Understanding and Treating Selective Mutism
By Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum

Selective Mutism is a childhood anxiety disorder whereby a child cannot speak in select social settings, such as school, despite his or her ability to speak when comfortable, such as at home. When a child is mute in social settings, parents, teacher and treating professional are often perplexed and unsure of ‘what to do.’ This presentation will focus on the evaluation and assessment of the ‘silent child’ with emphasis on differential diagnosis, etiology, treatment and the behavioral and personality characteristics selectively mute children tend to portray. A discussion of case studies and the development of individual treatment plans using a variety of therapeutic techniques will be discussed in detail with Q & A discussions about particular cases.