Angela E. McHolm - Helping Your Child with Selective Mutism: Practical Steps to Overcome a Fear of Speaking

Taking their school-based approach and adapting it for use by parents, the authors enlarge the audience who can benefit from their sound intervention program. The program is well-organized and employs graduated and systematic strategies that are both reasoned and researched. Building on established principles of learning, the program thoughtfully guides parents in how to teach, shape, and practice a step-by-step method for youth to overcome the fear of speaking. A welcomed addition to the literature that strives to reduce anxiety in youth, I encourage parents to read and apply the program.

Philip C. Kendall, Ph.D., ABPP, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology and director of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic at Temple University

Finally, parents of children who suffer from selective mutism have a comprehensive, well-written resource to help them deal with this challenging problem. This book provides a thorough description of the disorder as well as a detailed, practical, step-by-step program for helping the child overcome selective mutism once and for all. If someone you care about suffers from selective mutism, this book is a must! It is also a great resource for teachers and for professionals who treat selective mutism.

Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., ABPP, director of the Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre at St. Josephs Healthcare and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

This is, without exception, the best book for parents on the topic of selective mutism I have had the pleasure to read. Loaded with information on the nature and causes of this childhood condition and filled with practical advice on how to cope with and effectively treat it, this book provides parents with a highly useful, trustworthy, science-based program for the child with selective mutism. Few if any professionals have more clinical experience with such children and the treatment of their condition than do McHolm and Cunningham. My congratulations both to the authors for putting together such a finely crafted book and to you, the reader, for having the good sense to buy it.

Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D., research professor of psychiatry at the State University of New York Upstate Medical School in Syracuse, NY

Silence, indeed, is not always golden. Helping Your Child with Selective Mutism is a must-read for parents, educators, clinicians, and developmental researchers. McHolm and her colleagues have provided a scholarly, lucid, and practical account of how to understand and manage the child with selective mutism. The authors step-by-step program will help even the most silent child.

Louis A. Schmidt, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and director of the Child Emotion Laboratory at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON

Finally! A well-informed perspective on an often undiagnosed, mismanaged, and misunderstood childhood anxiety disorder. The practical insights of Drs. McHolm and Cunningham and Ms. Vanier are necessary reading for parents and teachers alike. These are real strategies that can be easily incorporated into a classroom setting! Helping Your Child with Selective Mutism is a necessary addition to the bookshelves of parents and teachers everywhere!

Lin Gorenkoff, parent of a child formerly with selective mutism, and facilitator and founder of the Selectively Silent Child Support Group and Web site, www.designandcopy.ca/silentchild

The practical strategies in this bookfocusing on progress rather than failurewere instrumental in helping our child overcome selective mutism. Our sons anxiety toward speaking at school has disappeared entirely. He is now considerably more self-confident and sociable, speaking freely to his teachers and friends. I would highly recommend this approach to selective mutism to any family facing the same challenge.

Anthony Sraka, school teacher in Oakville, ON, Canada, and father of a child formerly with selective mutism

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2005 by Angela E. McHolm, Charles E. Cunningham, and Melanie K. Vanier

New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

5674 Shattuck Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

Cover design by Amy Shoup

Cover image: Creatas/PhotoAlto

Acquired by Tesilya Hanauer

Edited by Karen ODonnell Stein

Text design by Tracy Marie Carlson

epub ISBN: 9781608823932

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McHolm, Angela E.

Helping your child with selective mutism : practical steps to overcome a fear of speaking / Angela E. McHolm, Charles E. Cunningham, and Melanie K. Vanier.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-57224-416-X

1. Mutism, ElectivePopular works. I. Cunningham, Charles E. II. Vanier, Melanie K. III. Title.

RJ506.M87M34 2005

616.9284dc22

2005014370

All Rights Reserved

New Harbinger Publications Web site address: www.newharbinger.com