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Selective Mutism and Comorbidity with Specific Learning Disorders: Evaluation and Multimodal Intervention in a Clinical Case of a Female Child from 7 to 11 Years of Age
Capobianco, M.; Costa, A. Selective Mutism and Comorbidity with Specific Learning Disorders: Evaluation and Multimodal Intervention in a Clinical Case of a Female Child from 7 to 11 Years of Age. Children 2024, 11, 746, doi:10.3390/children11060746.
Capobianco, M.; Costa, A. Selective Mutism and Comorbidity with Specific Learning Disorders: Evaluation and Multimodal Intervention in a Clinical Case of a Female Child from 7 to 11 Years of Age. Children 2024, 11, 746, doi:10.3390/children11060746.
Capobianco, M.; Costa, A. Selective Mutism and Comorbidity with Specific Learning Disorders: Evaluation and Multimodal Intervention in a Clinical Case of a Female Child from 7 to 11 Years of Age. Children 2024, 11, 746, doi:10.3390/children11060746.
Capobianco, M.; Costa, A. Selective Mutism and Comorbidity with Specific Learning Disorders: Evaluation and Multimodal Intervention in a Clinical Case of a Female Child from 7 to 11 Years of Age. Children 2024, 11, 746, doi:10.3390/children11060746.
Abstract
Selective mutism (SM) is an “Anxiety Disorder” characterized by a child’s “persistent inability” to communicate verbally in some (or all) contexts of social life that is associated with other cognitive-affective disorders. Cognitive-behavioural assessment and psychological intervention may be complex to be performed due to both the difficulty to administered standardized neuropsychological batteries (e.g., language-mediated tests) and the difficulty to involve family and teachers in the intervention program, respectively. Here, a single-case study is described in which a female Filipina child with SM underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and multimodal therapeutical intervention between the ages of 7 to 11 years. More specifically, the psychological intervention included cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy to both improve social-cognitive skills and learning abilities and to reduce anxiety, and speech therapy. Moreover, the parents and teachers were actively involved in the therapeutic process and they were also administered a psycho-education program. After this specific treatment, at the age of 11 years the girl began to verbalize in both therapy and school contexts, although she still was used to adopt non-verbal strategies. A parallel and gradual improvement in communicative-linguistic skills and school learning was also observed. In conclusion, the present report highlights the importance to apply an "integrated and multimodal intervention" to treat SM in children that includes also psycho-education intervention for both parents and teachers.
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