Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026
A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity
Published on: August 21, 2015
The outcome of children with selective mutism following cognitive behavioral intervention: a follow-up study
Claudia Lang1, Ziv Nir2, Ayelet Gothelf2
1The Anxiety Clinic at the Child Psychiatry Unit, The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, 52621, Israel.
Insights
Selective mutism (SM) treatment using modular cognitive behavioral therapy (MCBT) shows promising long-term results in children. This therapy effectively reduces SM and related anxiety symptoms, with a high recovery rate observed.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Clinical Psychiatry
- Behavioral Therapy
Background:
- Selective mutism (SM) is an underdiagnosed childhood disorder with limited empirical data on treatment outcomes.
- Existing research on SM treatment, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy, often consists of small, uncontrolled case reports.
- Long-term outcome data for children with SM following treatment are scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of modular cognitive behavioral therapy (MCBT) for children diagnosed with selective mutism.
- To assess the impact of MCBT on SM symptoms and comorbid anxiety disorders.
- To investigate the recovery rates and long-term outcomes in a cohort of children treated for SM.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective naturalistic study design was employed.
- Parents of 36 children meeting SM diagnostic criteria and receiving MCBT were invited for follow-up.
- Data were collected through structured interviews and questionnaires, including the Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ), for 24 evaluated subjects.
Main Results:
- The study evaluated 24 children with a mean age of 9.3 years at follow-up.
- Significant improvements were observed in SM, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia symptoms from treatment initiation to follow-up.
- The overall recovery rate for selective mutism was 84.2%.
Conclusions:
- Modular cognitive behavioral therapy (MCBT) is a feasible and potentially effective treatment for selective mutism in children.
- Early intervention appears more effective than treatment initiated at older ages.
- SM-focused MCBT contributes to a reduction in psychiatric comorbidities, including separation anxiety and specific phobias.
Unlabelled:
Selective mutism (SM) is a relatively rare childhood disorder and is underdiagnosed and undertreated. The purpose of the retrospective naturalistic study was to examine the long-term outcome of children with SM who were treated with specifically designed modular cognitive behavioral therapy (MCBT). Parents of 36 children who met diagnostic criteria of SM that received MCBT treatment were invited for a follow-up evaluation. Parents were interviewed using structured scales and completed questionnaires regarding the child, including the Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ). Twenty-four subjects were identified and evaluated. Their mean age ± SD of onset of SM symptoms, beginning of treatment, and age at follow-up were 3.4 ± 1.4, 6.4 ± 3.1, and 9.3 ± 3.4 years, respectively. There was robust improvement from beginning of treatment to follow-up evaluation in SM, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia symptoms. The recovery rate from SM was 84.2 %.
Conclusion:
SM-focused MCBT is feasible in children and possibly effective in inducing long-term reduction of SM and comorbid anxiety symptoms.
What Is Known:
• There are limited empirical data on selective mutism (SM) treatment outcome and specifically on cognitive-behavioral therapy, with the majority of studies being uncontrolled case reports of 1 to 2 cases each. • There is also limited data on the long-term outcome of children with SM following treatment. What is New: • Modular cognitive behavioral treatment is a feasible and possibly effective treatment for SM. Intervention at a younger age is more effective comparing to an older age. • Treatment for SM also decreases the rate of psychiatric comorbidities, including separation anxiety disorder and specific phobia.
More Related Videos
05:48The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
06:35Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Related Concept Videos
01:26Modeling in Therapy
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in...
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.