Customer Reviews

Refusal to Speak: Treatment of Selective Mutism in Children (Child Therapy (Jason Aronson))

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This book contains a collection of articles from the selective mutism literature up to the year 1995. With the exception of a few articles that are scientifically valid, the book is a compilation of misguided information. Even the title is misleading in that selective mutism has been defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a "failure" to speak and not a refusal to speak. Most of the new literature supporting the concept that selective mutism is an involuntary response to anxiety is absent.

This book is a nightmare! The editors ignore current literature in a seeming effort to further misinformation about a difficult to treat disorder. They are almost as guilty of child abuse as the clinicians who "treated" June and Jennifer Gibbons: identical twins with SM, born in 1965 in England. (It was the CLINICIANS who created the 'monsters' in the girls through their ignorance!) SM is a physiologically-based anxiety disorder and as such must be treated with behavior mod. and/ or meds and COMPASSION for those afflicted!

Look up books using the keyword, shyness. Here are some I found at amazon.com

Buster: The Very Shy Dog by Lisze Bechtold(Illustrator)

Let's Talk About Being Shy (The Let's Talk Library) by Marianne Johnston

J. Rooker, Manatee by Jan Haley, Paul Brent(Illustrator)

The Shy Child : A Parent's Guide to Preventing and Overcoming Shyness from Infancy to Adulthood by Philip G. Zimbardo, Shirley L. Radl

These can be helpful. The book I'm reviewing IS more HARMFUL than helpful. I didn't order it. I read it at a library. It is awful and would increase feelings of inadequacy, anger, etc. which can make a person shy.

School, insurance programs, medical programs, and so forth make a lot of money by having kids diagnosed so they can get money from the government. Remember, "the government" is our tax dollars and many of these dollars are spent unwisely!

Buy some of the other great books at amazon.com about shyness but don't get this one!

Simply the title of this book makes me not want to purchase it. Selective Mutism is NOT a refusal to speak in social situations. Children with SM are not being defiant or refusing to speak, the are physically unable to speak in certain social situations. I did not nor would I waste money on this book, the title says it all..I'm sure it is as mis-guided as the other reviews say it is.
My child has selective mutism, this book should be removed from Amazon.

Be very careful when reading this book. A lot of the information is outdated and is considered incorect. I think you could hurt your family by following this books advice.