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Autism Vs SM Similarities Differences and Overlap
Autism Vs SM Similarities Differences and Overlap
Claire Carroll
Senior Practitioner Educational Psychologist,
One Education Manchester
SMiRA committee member.
All about me…
SM training 2014
SMiRA committee 2017
www.oneeducation.co.uk | 0844 967 1111 2
Task for today
- What is autism? What is SM?
- Why do people confuse them?
- How are they different?
- How are they similar?
- Is there an overlap?
- What next?
Behaviours
Selective
Mutism
Contributory
factors: within
child and context
Selective
Mutism
Social anxiety as a
result of being
autistic
• BUT
www.oneeducation.co.uk | 0844 967 1111 19
• Selective mutism is an • It helps to view it as
emerging behaviour external to the person
(NOT a chosen and not ‘who they are’
behaviour) – it is a • Hence person first
‘flake’ language
• It is often changeable
or improvable over
time
• It does not help to
adopt it as an identity
Need for
predictability/
Fears and control Problems regulating
phobias emotional response