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Research Article: Integrated Behavior Therapy for Exclusively Anxious Selective Mutism: A Nonconcurrent Multiple-Baseline Design across Five Participants

Date Published: 2023-10-16

Abstract:
Selective mutism (SM) is a rare childhood anxiety disorder which may be markedly detrimental to a child’s academic and social functioning if left untreated. Cognitive–behavioral treatments for social anxiety disorders have been found to be effective for SM, yet a paucity of published studies have explored manualized treatment approaches carried out by novice clinicians. The purpose of the present study was to examine the adherence, effectiveness, and acceptability of a condensed, 16-session version of Integrated Behavior Therapy for Selective Mutism (IBTSM; Bergman, 2013), the first manualized treatment for SM. A nonconcurrent multiple-baseline single-case design was used across five children diagnosed with SM, exclusively anxious subtype. IBTSM was implemented with excellent adherence (M = 98%) over an average of 19 weeks (range = 16–22 weeks). Visual analyses of weekly caregiver ratings of social anxiety and speaking behaviors did not demonstrate a replicated intervention effect; however, Tau-U effect sizes and Reliable Change Index (RCI) calculations demonstrated significant individual improvements in social anxiety and speaking behaviors over time on several measures. Three children (60%) no longer met diagnostic criteria for SM following treatment. All caregivers rated IBTSM as acceptable, with specific endorsements of acceptability in the areas of time required and treatment quality.

Introduction:
Selective mutism (SM) is a rare anxiety disorder in which children persistently fail to speak in certain social settings (e.g., at school, in public), though they exhibit comfortable and consistent speech in others (e.g., at home, with caregivers, close friends). Despite its low prevalence rate, with less than two percent of children receiving a diagnosis of SM [1], the potentially debilitating effects of SM on later development [2,3] create a need for increased awareness of SM, including efforts to promote…

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