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Semin Speech Lang 2005; 26(3): 201-210
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-917125
Copyright © 2005 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

When Silence Is Not Golden: An Integrated Approach to Selective Mutism

Alison McInnes1 , Katharina Manassis2
  • 1Department of Psychiatry Research, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; present affiliation: Assistant Professor of Special Education, Faculty of Education, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  • 2Head, Anxiety Disorder Clinic Department of Psychiatry Hospital for Sick Children, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Publication History

Publication Date:
12 September 2005 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Selective mutism (SM) is a rare disorder that is associated with both anxiety and communication impairments. Preliminary evidence suggests that educational attainment and development of social skills and self-esteem may be affected by SM in a significant proportion of cases. There is a critical need for cross-disciplinary research from the fields of speech-language pathology, psychiatry, and clinical psychology to develop protocols for assessing language and cognitive functioning in children with SM and developing interventions that address psychiatric, communicative, and social aspects of this disorder.

KEYWORDS

Selective mutism - anxiety - language disorders

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Alison McInnesPh.D. 

Assistant Professor of Special Education, Faculty of Education, University of Windsor

Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4 Canada

Email: amcinnes@uwindsor.ca