A procedural distinction between elective and progressive mutism.

This paper introduces a procedural distinction between elective and progressive mutism. In elective mutism, a child elects to talk freely with intimates (e.g. family members); in progressive mutism a child does not communicate verbally with anyone (including intimates). This analysis argues that clinicians' therapeutic goals and parents' expectations of treatment outcomes for elective mutism would differ from those applied to a case of progressive mutism and that the selection of the appropriate concept (elective vs progressive) to name the type of mutism prior to intervention would enhance treatment outcomes.