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SPCL 7915 Behavioral Assessment and Intervention: Session 13 - Module 6: BIP Applications - Students with Selective Mutism

Open Educational Resource (OER) created for Professor Elizalde-Utnick's SPCL 7915 course.

TASK LIST TO PREPARE FOR ZOOM SESSION

Please complete the following PRIOR to our class on May 8:

1. Readings

Elizalde-Utnick

Thompson

Bice-Urbach

Sanetti & Luiselli

Supplemental (Optional) Reading: Demaray et al; Weist et al.

2. Review reading notes for RAT#11

The 5-question multiple-choice quiz will be on the assigned readings.

Note that the slides are available to you to use during the lecture/application portions of class. 

3. Blackboard Assignment - FBA-BIP Report - Due on Sunday, May 11.

Make sure to save your report into a PDF before submitting it on Blackboard.

SUMMARY

In this session we will discuss behavioral interventions for students with selective mutism (SM). We will begin with an activity that looks at the level of severity of SM symptomatology. We will then explore shaping and fading strategies and integrate them into classroom-based BIPs.

SESSION SLIDES

MEASURING LOUDNESS OF VOICE

What does each number represent?

LEVEL OF SEVERITY OF SM SYMPTOMS

SM symptoms fall along a continuum of severity:

MILD              MODERATE               MODERATELY SEVERE                      SEVERE

For each of the following cases, determine the level of severity of the child’s SM symptoms:

BERENICE (5) presents with SM. At school she grunts and shakes her head to indicate “no,” and she smiles and nods her head when she is in agreement.

JORGE (7) presents with SM. He speaks with his family at home with a regular voice. He speaks with select friends outside of school with a regular voice. At school, he does not speak with anyone except the school counselor. He speaks with a low voice with the counselor in her office with the door closed but not outside of the office.

JOSIE (4) presents with SM. She never smiles in school. She plays by herself, although she has been observed gazing at the other children. She looks away when an adult tries to interact with her. Her teacher is concerned that she is unable to communicate with Josie. The only time the teacher knows that something is wrong is when she cries. However, if you do not see the actual tears, you would not know that she is crying.

AHMED (6) presents with SM. He taps on his teacher’s arm to gain his attention. Ahmed often stands expectantly in front of his teacher until his teacher figures out what Ahmed wants. Ahmed points to desired objects.

SHAPING VS. FADING

Consider the following reinforcement contingencies for students with selective mutism. In each case are these steps for shaping or fading?

A. REINFORCEMENT CONTINGENCY:

1.SM child pointing to desired object (younger child) / writing question or response on a Post-it (older child)

2.SM child whispering a response in the teacher’s ear

3.SM child speaking in a low voice

4.SM child speaking in a regular voice

B. REINFORCEMENT CONTINGENCY:

1.SM child whispering or talking to the therapist in the therapy room with the door closed.
2.SM child whispering/talking to the therapist in the therapy room with the door slightly ajar.
3.SM child whispering/talking to the therapist in the therapy room with the door one-quarter-way open.
4.SM child whispering/talking to the therapist in the therapy room with the door half-way open.

Etc…

SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTION PLANS

School-based interventions for SM children involve contingency management and exposure-based techniques.

For each of the following cases:

1.     Develop a contingency plan. What behavior(s) will you target first? And then after that what would you target? Etc.

2.     Develop an exposure-based plan to decrease the level of anxiety in the classroom during activities which require the SM child’s participation.

Child

Contingency Plan

Exposure-Based Plan

  BERENICE

    JORGE

     JOSIE

    AHMED