De invloed van woordenschat en executieve functies op het pragmatisch taalgebruik van kinderen met Selectief Mutisme

The current study investigated the relation between the receptive vocabulary, executive functioning, pragmatics and selective mutism of children between four and eight years old. Selective mutism is a rare disorder and is characterized by the absence of speaking in situations like school which can lead to multiple problems in adulthood like reduced academic achievements, social development and mental health. The aim of this study was to acquire more knowledge about the relation between these constructs and selective mutism for future development of interventions so children with selective mutism get the support they need. This was investigated through a quantitative study using research data from Project Omilia. The Children’s Communication Checklist, Selective Mutism Questionnaire, Peabody’s Picture Vocabulary Test III and Minnesota Executive Function Scale were used to measure these constructs. Independent t-tests showed that the receptive vocabulary and pragmatics were less...Show moreThe current study investigated the relation between the receptive vocabulary, executive functioning, pragmatics and selective mutism of children between four and eight years old. Selective mutism is a rare disorder and is characterized by the absence of speaking in situations like school which can lead to multiple problems in adulthood like reduced academic achievements, social development and mental health. The aim of this study was to acquire more knowledge about the relation between these constructs and selective mutism for future development of interventions so children with selective mutism get the support they need. This was investigated through a quantitative study using research data from Project Omilia. The Children’s Communication Checklist, Selective Mutism Questionnaire, Peabody’s Picture Vocabulary Test III and Minnesota Executive Function Scale were used to measure these constructs. Independent t-tests showed that the receptive vocabulary and pragmatics were less developed for the children with selective mutism. The multiple regression analysis showed a significant positive relation between severity of selective mutism and pragmatics. This indicated that an increase in severity of selective mutism leads to more problems with pragmatics. These results authenticate that it is important to conduct research on pragmatics for children with selective mutism. Pragmatics seem to be vital in the development and conservation of selective mutism and vice versa. However, research on pragmatics of children with selective mutism is scarce. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct more research on this matter for a more thorough development of selective mutism interventions so children with selective mutism get the opportunity to develop better pragmatic skills and hopefully less selective mutism severity.Show less

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De invloed van woordenschat en executieve functies op het pragmatisch taalgebruik van kinderen met Selectief Mutisme