The Selective Mutism Questionnaire: Data from typically developing children and children with selective mutism.

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder defined by a consistent failure to speak in specific social situations.
• Standardized instruments like the Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ) and School Speech Questionnaire (SSQ) are used to assess SM severity and treatment efficacy.
• Prospective data on speech behavior in typically developing children (TDs) are lacking, hindering comparative analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide prospective data on speech behavior in typically developing children (TDs) over time.
• To compare TD speech behavior with data from children undergoing treatment for SM.
• To validate the utility of the SMQ and SSQ for assessing SM and treatment effects.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 64 children aged 3-9 years was studied, including 32 TDs as a matched control group for 32 children with SM.
• The parent-rated SMQ and teacher-rated SSQ were administered to assess speaking behavior.
• Speech behavior was tracked over time to observe changes in both groups.

Main Results:

• At baseline, TDs exhibited higher mean SMQ and SSQ scores (≥2.5) compared to children with SM (0.5).
• TDs demonstrated no significant changes in speech behavior over the study period.
• Children with SM showed a statistically significant increase in speech post-treatment.

Conclusions:

• The SMQ and SSQ are reliable tools for assessing baseline SM severity.
• These questionnaires are effective in evaluating the impact of treatments for selective mutism.
• The findings support the use of SMQ/SSQ in clinical practice and future research for SM.