Psychology Facts

▼ Selective Mutism ▼

》Selective Mutism is a complex childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child's inability to speak and communicate effectively in select social settings.

》Parents and caregivers often notice signs of SM when a child is 3 or 4 years old, and may spend a whole year in preschool without saying a word.

》Symptoms:

Expression of a desire to speak that is held back by anxiousness, fear, or embarrassment

Fidgeting, eye contact avoidance, lack of movement or lack of expression when in feared situations

Inability to speak in school and other specific social situations

Use of nonverbal communication to express needs (e.g., nodding head, pointing)

Shyness, fear of people, and reluctance to speak between 2 and 4 years of age

Speaking easily in certain situations (e.g., at home or with familiar people), but not others (e.g., at school or with unfamiliar people)

》In addition to this primary symptom, children must also display the following:

Symptoms of selective mutism must have been present for at least one month, and not simply the first month of school.

Your child must understand spoken language and have the ability to speak normally in some situations (usually at home with familiar people).

Finally, a lack of speech must interfere with your child's educational or social functioning.

》The first described cases date back to 1877 when German physician Adolph Kussmaul labeled children who did not speak as having "aphasia voluntaria."

》Less than 1% of children have selective mutism. That means there is probably 1 child with selective mutism in every 5 classes at a school.

》Many children with selective mutism also have social anxiety disorder.

》For every 1 boy with selective mutism there are approximately 2 girls who have the disorder.

》Research now suggests that the disorder is related to extreme social anxiety and that genetic predisposition is likely. Like all mental disorders, it is unlikely that there is one single cause.

》Kids who develop the condition:

Tend to be very shy

May have an anxiety disorder

Fear embarrassing themselves in front of others

》Selective mutism also often co-occurs with other disorders including:

Anxiety

Depression

Developmental delays

Language problems

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Panic disorder

》Selective mutism is most receptive to treatment when it is caught early. If your child has been silent at school for two months or longer, it is important that treatment begin promptly.

》When selective mutism is not caught early, there is a risk that your child will become used to not speaking, and as a result, being silent will become a way of life and more difficult to change.