Selective Mutism
a
Social Anxiety Disorder

Informational Fact Sheet: www.KidsHealth.org

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What Teachers Should Know

Anxiety disorders cause people to feel frightened, distressed, or uneasy during situations in which most people would not feel that way. Left untreated, anxiety disorders can make it hard for students to get schoolwork done or study. It may affect their relationships with peers and teachers, too. In some cases, students with anxiety disorders miss a lot of school days. Or they may avoid school altogether.

Continue Article on Anxiety disorders HERE!!!!

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Selective mutism causes some kids and teens to be too fearful to talk in some situations. Students with selective mutism might be able to speak just fine in comfortable environments, like at home with family members. But they can't speak in other places or situations, like at school or in public.

Continue Article on Selective Mutism HERE!!!

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Additional Information on Selective Mutism:

According to The DSM 5, selective mutism is defined as “a consistent failure to speak in social situations in which there is an expectation for speaking despite speaking in other situations.” Also, according to The DSM 5, “selective mutism is a relatively rare disorder with onset usually before 5 but the disturbance may not come to clinical attention until entry into school.”

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While selective mutism is mostly understood as a speaking phobia, it is specifically a variation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessiveness refers to the cognitive or thinking component of worry and anxiety. The compulsion is the verbal shutdown or muteness. In essence, the mutism is driven by the obsessive compulsive mind. 

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Selective mutism impacts individuals of all ages and functioning levels. Many individuals with selective mutism are intellectually intelligent. Selective mutism, however, is a symptom that characterizes a substantial void of emotional intelligence.

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The most common mistake that well-intentioned parents and professionals make when engaging the socially anxious or selectively mute child is to invest in the belief that “the child is just shy and will grow out of the problem.” The second biggest confusion is the misunderstanding regarding how ingrained the psychophysiological (mind-body) reflex becomes. The third most common confusion is when the parent says something like “My child only does not talk in school.” While school does usually present the most performance anxiety for the child with selective mutism, objective scrutiny, in most cases, will identify a pattern of verbal shutdown elsewhere. In most, cases selective mutism accrues and becomes more ingrained with time. It is an obvious precursor to avoidant and dependent personality disorder.

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There is a silver lining to selective mutism. Given that it is identifiable at an early age, it presents an opportunity to get control of a complex and insidious problem before it works its way organically into emotion and behavior. Parents can have an enormously empowering influence with productive intervention as early as possible.

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Please feel free to reach out to me via email or phone for more information:

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ckilliany@gmail.com or (c) 949.394.2992