Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in which children can 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. This episode will discuss the 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, and provide examples of specific activities that can be utilized in therapy.
