Abstract
The present study addressed the different contributors to social anxiety in children with Selective Mutism (SM), with and without co-occurring Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (SM + ASD). Seventy-five parents completed an online composite questionnaire consisting of the symptoms of SM and ASD, anxiety and sensory measures. The results found the SM + ASD group showed significantly higher levels of social anxiety and sensory avoidance compared to the SM only group. However, a simple mediation model revealed sensory avoidance to be a mediator of this relationship between the diagnosis and social anxiety.. Therefore, higher levels of sensory avoidance may help to differentiate social anxiety between the groups and may also be a sign of ASD in children with SM who have and/or are yet to receive an ASD diagnosis.
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Ludlow, A.K., Osborne, C. & Keville, S. Selective Mutism in Children With and Without an Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Sensory Avoidance in Mediating Symptoms of Social Anxiety. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 3891–3900 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05674-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05674-0