Finding Voice

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. Long-time 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.