Effectiveness of early treatment of children with selective mutism in educational centers

Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder of low prevalence, which makes its investigation difficult. Despite its early start, its diagnosis is not usually made before access to compulsory schooling. The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of a cognitive-behavioral protocol for psychological intervention in the educational context (IPMSCE), following the criteria of the Task Force in Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures. Ten children with a delay of less than two years between the onset of SM and its diagnosis (1.00 +/- 0.54) participated. The average age was 4.94 years and 80% were girls. A case accumulation design was used, with measures of treatment before its application, at the end and in a follow-up at 12 months, obtained through parents, teachers and a situational test. The results show the effectiveness of the intervention.