Gamificiation Of Therapy: Treating Selective Mutism

Selective mutism is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a withdrawal of speech in situations during which speech might be expected typically. Diagnostically speaking, selective mutism is labeled an anxiety disorder, likely due to the high co-occurrence between selective mutism and other anxiety disorders (e.g., social anxiety disorder), and the onset is usually during childhood. Successful treatment of selective mutism includes the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy methods, although early gains during treatment may prove difficult at times. This chapter will provide a background and rationale for the use of gamification in the treatment of selective mutism. Case-study data are also provided. Further, this chapter describes the development of a prototype tablet PC application developed to assist in the treatment of selective mutism