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Maggie Johnson & Alison Wintgens
Selective Mutism is a rare condition but it is important because selectively mute children are at a significant disadvantage personally and socially. It is also a greater barrier to learning, with the increased emphasis on verbalisation within the school curriculum. More resources and attention are often directed towards the disruptive child.
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This unique manual emphasises practical assessment and treatment, advice and information, filling a significant gap in the availability of suitable resources in this field.
The approach is based on behavioural principles and a hierarchy of stages of confident speaking originally conceived by Anthony Glassberg.
Starts with a summary of the literature and theory, followed by detailed ideas on assessment and management, with accompanying material that can be photocopied.
Case examples and a discussion about progress, transfer and discharge are included.
Contents
Frequently asked questions; General assessment considerations and implications; Preliminary investigation; Child interview and assessment; Creating the right environment: advice for home and school; General treatment considerations; Overview of the treatment progression; A structured treatment programme; Eliciting speech for the first time/Generalising speech across people and settings/Effective practice; Parent and teacher support; Letting go; Illustrations of intervention.
Readership
Teachers, clinical and educational psychologists, speech & language therapists, child psychiatrists, parents.
About the authors
Maggie Johnson is a speech and language therapist specialising in childhood communication disorders. Her experience in education and community settings spans twenty years in special schools, language units, mainstream schools, clinics and multi-agency centres. Maggie works for East Kent Community NHS Trust and is Manager for Paediatric Services in Thanet. Alison Wintgens is a speech and language therapist at St. George's hospital, London, in the Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. She has extensive experience of working with children and adolescents with a range of communication disorders and additional behavioural or psychiatric problems. |
