Finding Voice – Treating Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety

Often baffling to parents, teachers, and some therapists, the social anxiety disorder known as selective mutism prevents children from moving toward normal social communication, critical in the school-age years. Finding Voice is not a manual for treatment of selective mutism in a rote manner. Some psychological and communication disorders might be treated with a manualized procedure, but this is not one of those disorders. The behavioral variations and rate of progress varies widely among children with selective mutism. These variations limit a manualized response. Rather than serving a menu to the reader, this book teaches how to create different menus, based on the tastes of the children and their parents.

Longtime therapist Robert Schum shares his years of experience helping children, their families, and their teachers. The author discusses the symptoms and treatment of selective mutism, and includes a variety of case histories with insightful intervention examples based on best-practice procedures for primary grades to adolescence. He notes that there is a family pattern of social anxiety among children who have selective mutism. This book covers assessment, treatment, and school intervention.