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Behavioral treatment of a selective mute Mexican‐American boy
Author(s) -
Masten William G.,
Stacks James R.,
CaldwellColbert A. Toy,
Jackson Jacqueline S.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6807(199601)33:1<56::aid-pits7>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - psychology , reinforcement , assertiveness , referral , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , social psychology , medicine , family medicine
This case study describes a selective mute Mexican‐American boy who, at initial referral, had never spoken to peers or teachers while in school. The treatment procedure employed shaping and reinforcement of speech in therapy sessions. These sessions involved the psychologist alone, the classroom teacher and psychologist, the boy's best friend and the psychologist, a small assertiveness skills group, and a small group for reading instruction. Results indicated that the subject first whispered one word and then gradually expanded his vocalizations from one‐word answers to complete sentences over a 3‐year period. By the end of the treatment, he answered questions in a normal tone of voice but rarely asked questions. Through the use of shaping, positive reinforcement, and stimulus fading, the treatment was successful in helping the boy to speak in several settings. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.