Assessment and Treatment of Comorbid Selective Mutism and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Speaker: Ainsley Boudreau, Ph.D., R.Psych., Psychologist, BC Children’s Hospital

It is well-known that anxiety disorders co-exist with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but much less is known about how to treat anxiety specific to speaking – that is, selective mutism (SM) – in the context of ASD. This is problematic, as SM compounds the core social-communication challenges experienced by individuals with ASD. This presentation provides information about how to assess and treat SM in children with ASD, using an evidence-based behavioural intervention for SM that is modified for ASD.