And good psychologist for selective mutism preschooler

[longhornspeakeasy]

I agree very much with BoxOChocolates' response. Selective mutism is definitely anxiety-based and it is very important that the psychological underpinnings of the condition be understood by everyone involved. I have a special affinity for children with anxiety and selective mutism as I see myself in them. I can very clearly remember the feeling of wanting to flee when my parents' adult friends tried to engage me in conversation. Fortunately, I was able to function for the most part at school (mostly out of an extreme fear of getting in 'trouble') as the educational system was not so forgiving of such differences in the sixties. Although the anxiety still exists, I have learned to control my response to it and have gone on to earn two graduate degrees and become, of all things, a specialist in the development of communication skills! I apologize for going on about myself but I'm sure you're a little frustrated (and worried) right now as I'm sure my parents were. I want you to know it will all work out.

My suggestion would be to find a psychiatrist/psychologist who specializes in selective mutism as suggested by BoxOChocolate before finding a speech pathologist, if possible, STRESSING the "specializes in" part. I say this because it has been my experience that speech pathologists tend to have very limited experience with children with selective mutism. I have treated only one child with selective mutism in 20 years of practice. If you have an experienced psychiatrist first, he or she can hopefully refer you to a speech pathologist who DOES have experience with selective mutism while also serving as the coordinator for services. If the psychiatrist is unable to refer you to an SLP, or if you decide to go with an SLP first, be sure to ask prospective SLPs about their prior experiences working with children with selective mutism. If you decide to go that route and would like the help, let me know and I can probably come up with a few interview questions to help you. I believe that finding the RIGHT speech pathologist is crucial to the success of treatment with this disorder. Good luck and be patient

By the way, just in case, it is important to understand that social skills therapy is NOT the same as treatment for selective mutism. You do not want your child with selective mutism to be placed in a social skills group as an initial course of therapy.