Some children with Selective Mutism also benefit from speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, sensory-integration therapy, and other interventions that may be recommended by the main treatment provider(s). [26], Like other disabilities, adequate accommodations are needed for those with the condition to succeed at school, work, and in the home. Before your visit, write down "It is related to social anxiety, shyness and an inhibited temperament, in which the individual avoids situations where they have to speak," she explains. Permanent silence in specific situations may or may not be due to past trauma. A child with selective mutism may find certain social situations very stressful. The average age of diagnosis is around 3 or 4 years old oraround the time a child enters a daycare or school setting and the non-speaking behavior becomes problematic (APA, 2000). Co-occurrence of ODD and anxiety: Shared risk processes and evidence for a dual-pathway model. "The Older Child or Teen with Selective Mutism", "Your Rights Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act", "Fluoxetine Treatment of Children with Selective Mutism: An Open Trial", "Selective mutism what is selective mutism childhood disorder", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Selective_mutism&oldid=1154050117, Articles lacking reliable references from December 2022, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from December 2022, Articles with dead external links from December 2022, Articles with self-published sources from December 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from August 2010, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2022, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0. Learning the signs may help you cope. Some children or adults never talk outside the home, some whisper, and some speak with only a select few people. Whom Does It Affect? Selective mutism: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia Others may feel comfortable speaking with immediate family only, but not with extended family or acquaintances. Learning more about this condition and meeting with pediatricians, psychologists, and speech therapists who have a good understanding of selective mutism can be beneficial to the whole family., SOURCES:American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Selective Mutism.Cedars-Sinai: Selective Mutism.Child Mind Institute: Complete Guide to Selective Mutism.Cleveland Clinic: Is Your Child Just Shy Or Is It Selective Mutism?Nemours KidsHealth: Selective Mutism Factsheet (for schools).Selective Mutism Association: What is the Difference Between Selective Mutism and Autism?Stanford Medicine Childrens Health: Age-Appropriate Speech and Language Milestones.. Try not to get frustrated and work with your childs psychologist or speech therapist to create a treatment plan. Particularly in young children, selective mutism can sometimes be confused with an autism spectrum disorder, especially if the child acts particularly withdrawn around their diagnostician, which can lead to incorrect diagnosis and treatment. Consistent failure to speak in specific social situations (in which there is an expectation for speaking, e.g., at school) despite speaking in other situations. FCW Vogel. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 606614. Bradley, S., & Sloman, L. (1975). Selective mutism usually co-exists with social anxiety disorder. Consistent failure to speak in specific social situations in which there is an expectation for speaking (e.g. PubMedGoogle Scholar. Kehle, T. J., Madaus, M. R., Baratta, V. S., & Bray, M. A. (2007). European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 25(6), 571578. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 39(2), 249256. Treating selective mutism involves behavior changes. Is it Shyness, Social Anxiety, or Selective Mutism? Each person is only brought in if the child continues to engage verbally and positively.[29][30][31]. Selective mutism is often misunderstood and can be misdiagnosed, but early detection and treatment are crucial for better outcomes down the road. Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder that prevents a person usually a child from speaking when they're in specific situations or around certain people. The results indicated behavioral inhibition does indeed predispose selective mutism. For more resources, contact the Selective Mutism Group. It could be things like specific people, people of a specific gender/race/age group, specific locations or groups of more . A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Repeated and spaced out use of interventions is shown to be the most helpful long-term for learning. In another, Dummit III et al. Approaches to evidence-based assessment and cognitive-behavioral treatment are discussed. Treatment varies based on the needs of your child, and may include: With treatment, a child is likely to stop having selective mutism. It most often takes place in school or social settings. A six-year-old who cannot speak when in a group of peers but is talkative at home, on the other hand, might be evaluated for selective mutism. [CDATA[// >