What is Selective Mutism....again

What is Selective Mutism (SM)? — Selective Mutism Group: "Diagnosis of other comorbid anxiety disorders are also commonly diagnosed with SM and social phobia (Biedel & Turner, 1998). The name change from 'elective' to 'selective mutism' in DSM-IV deemphasized the oppositional behavior connotation that a child elected not to speak and rather emphasized the characteristic of the disorder, that there are select environments in which speaking does not occur (APA, 1994). The term selective mutism is consistent with new etiological theories that focus on anxiety issues (Dow et al., 1995).
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The current edition, DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) states that the following criteria must be met in order to qualify for a diagnosis of selective mutism:
An inability to speak in at least one specific social situation where speaking is expected (e.g., at school) despite speaking in other situations (e.g., at home); The disturbance has interfered with educational or occupational achievement or with social communication; The duration of the selective mutism is at least one month and is not limited to the first month of school; The inability to speak is not due to to a lack of knowledge of or discomfort with the primary language required in the social situation; and, The disturbance cannot better be accounted for by a communication disorder (e.g. stuttering) and does not occur exclusively during the course of a pervasive developmental disorder, schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder.
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Consistent with current research, SMG believes that Selective Mutism is best understood as a childhood social communication anxiety disorder. SM is much more than shyness and most likely on the spectrum of social phobia and related anxiety disorders. SM is NOT a child willfully refusing to speak."


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I had an incident today that caused me to look up Selective Mutism. Because of one person I was in a terrible mood all day.

I have been trying to get Larissa into the 4K program in the school in which we are zoned. I feel that it would better prepare her for kindergarten the next year. With her anxiety it would be nice to have that transition in the same school in the same environment. However, the special education department doesn't agree with me. Larissa will be going to a different school this year....her third.
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During our discussion I mentioned that with her Selective Mutism Larissa's needs would be best met by attending her zoned school. I was told, "it is not like she has a disability or anything, she just chooses not to speak". Needless to say, she received a lecture on how debilitating SM can actually be.

She honestly thinks that my child is just being willful. No wonder she is not interested in actually helping with her issue. I had just spoken with the private speech therapist today and she also thinks that Larissa should go to her zoned school. She wants to talk with the school. I don't think that it will help. Closed minds are so hard to open.

This is not the first time I have met with this opinion. We were actually told by a therapist that we should punish her every time she wouldn't talk. My husband was with me at the time and was shocked. We can both tell that it is not just a willful act, we are sure that if she could get those words out she would gladly. We have never punished her for not talking to others and we never will, our hearts tell us it is wrong.

So, tomorrow I will be sending the above description of Selective Mutism from the Selective Mutism Group to the special education department of our district office. I will underline a few sentences for her. Maybe, someone there will learn something new. All I know is......... she is worth the fight.

Selective Mutism

Selective Mutism......have you heard of it? I hadn't until about 18months ago. Our baby Larissa was our foster child at the time and we had concerns. As a baby she did not wave at anyone, she just never developed that skill. As she got older we came to realize that she wouldn't talk to anyone outside of our family. We had seen shy before but this went beyond shyness.

Someone on one of my support groups threw out selective mutism to me. I did lots of reading on the subject and realized that this was what we may be dealing with. She was young for a diagnosis but dealing with is while they are young helps.

When Larissa turned 3 years old she started in an early intervention program at the local public school. She continues to attend such a program here in Texas. Selective mutism is real and can be debilitating. I just had a meeting with her teachers. Her speech teacher said that she had just recently heard Larissa say her first sentence.....she has been working with her since school started in August. She was so excited that she finally got her to say something to her. At home, she talks up a storm, she does not have a speech problem when she is with her family.


Selective mutism is actually an anxiety issue. However, Larissa's speech teacher pointed out that it turns into a speech issue because they don't develop proper social speech. If you have concerns about a child that won't speak in public, check out selective mutism. Early intervention can make a big difference for the child. Our hope is that one day Larissa will be able to respond to her teachers on a regular basis.