PHEI PHEI OON: PLAY, RELATIONSHIP, AND THE EMERGENCE OF SPEECH IN CHILDREN WITH SELECTIVE MUTISM

WEDNESDAY 22 JULY, 10:00 - 10:55

Lecture Room 1

This presentation explores, through video analysis of therapy sessions, how relational play, therapeutic relationships, and arts-based activities function as social modalities that foster comfort in speaking, cultivate pleasure in social interaction, and support the development of agency and spontaneity in children with Selective Mutism. Drawing on perspectives from play theory, attunement, group dynamics, improvisation, imaginative play, and humour, the presentation examines how these elements facilitate children's social participation and contribute to the emergence of speech within and beyond therapeutic contexts.