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

• Main Authors: Allison K. Siroky (Author), John S. Carlson (Author), Aimee Kotrba (Author)
• Formato: Libro
• Publicado: MDPI AG, 2023-10-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Acceso en liña: Connect to this object online.

Summary

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.

descrición da copia

10.3390/pediatric15040057
2036-7503