Understanding and Supporting Children with Selective Mutism in the Primary School

Authors

  • Finola O'Neill

Keywords:

Selective Mutism, Primary School, Intervention Strategies, Mainstream, Support

Abstract

Although selective mutism is not a common condition, it can have very serious effects on a child’s academic and social life. Following a description of selective mutism and the most commonly observed characteristics of children who present with this condition, a process of identification and intervention is presented, based on a mainstream setting and involving the support of a resource teacher, amongst others.

References

American Psychiatric Association (APA) (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed), Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Cline, T. and Baldwin, S. (1994) Selective Mutism in Children, London: Whurr.

Cunningham, C.E., McHolm, A., Boyle, M. and Patel, S. (2004) Behavioural and emotional adjustment, family functioning, academic performance, and social relationships in children with selective mutism, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 45 (8) pp.1363-1372.

Hultquist, A. (1995) Selective Mutism: Causes and Interventions, Journal of Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, Vol. 3 (2), pp. 100-108.

Imich, A. (1998) Selective Mutism: The Implications of Current Research for the Practice of Educational Psychologists, Educational Psychology in Practice, Vol.14 (1), April 1998.

Johnson, M. and Wintgens, A. (2001) The Selective Mutism Resource Manual, Oxon: Speechmark Publishing Ltd.

Lebrun, Y. (1990) Mutism, London: Whurr. National Association of School Psychologists Homepage. http://www.nasponline.org/futures/selmutism.html (13th May 2005).

Pionek-Stone, B., Kratochwill, T., Sladezcek, I. and Serlin, R. (2002) Treatment of Selective Mutism: A Best-Evidence Synthesis, School Psychology Quarterly, Vol.17 (2) pp. 168-190.

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Published

2021-01-24

How to Cite

O’Neill, F. (2021). Understanding and Supporting Children with Selective Mutism in the Primary School. REACH: Journal of Inclusive Education in Ireland, 19(1), 45–56. Retrieved from https://reachjournal.ie/index.php/reach/article/view/153

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2005)

Section

Articles

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