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Selective mutism is a severe anxiety disorder where a person is unable to speak in certain social situations, such as with classmates at school or to relatives they do not see very often. It usually starts during childhood and, if left untreated, can persist into adulthood.
Mutism may be due to apraxia, that is, problems with coordination of muscles involved in speech. Another cause may be a medical condition impacting the physical structures involved in speech, for example, loss of voice due to the injury, paralysis, or illness of the larynx. Anarthria is a severe form of dysarthria.
Selective mutism is when a child can’t speak in certain settings, but can speak fine in others. For example, a child may not be able to speak at school, but can speak with no problem at home. It is called selective mutism because the child is only mute in select situations.
Selective mutism typically does not go away on its own, and in fact, can lead to worsened anxiety and social difficulty if not addressed. Treatment requires a cohesive plan between home and school to produce lasting change.
Selective mutism is a severe anxiety disorder where a person is unable to speak in certain social situations, such as with classmates at school or to relatives they do not see very often. It usually starts during childhood and, if left untreated, can persist into adulthood.
Muteness may result from two conditions: physical muteness, where the person has a problem with the throat or vocal chords rendering them unable to make sounds; and deafness, which the person can make the sounds but not speak. … If they have a problem with their vocal cord, then sure they can whistle and laugh.
Can a mute person scream? Yes, they can. It usually doesn’t sound the same as when someone with full hearing screams, but they can and do.
It has been suggested that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be a “comorbid” condition in selective mutism (SM).
Studies have shown no evidence that the cause of Selective Mutism is related to abuse, neglect or trauma. What is the difference between Selective Mutism and traumatic mutism? Children who suffer from Selective Mutism speak in at least one setting and are rarely mute in all settings.
Selective mutism is a rare psychiatric condition primarily occurring during childhood. It is characterized by the failure to speak in certain social situations. The ability to speak and understand spoken language is not impaired, and may be exhibited in more familiar environments.
Brain Studies
Studies show that children with selective mutism have a low threshold of excitability in a portion of their brain called the amygdala, which explains most of the behavioral issues these children exhibit. The amygdala senses potential danger by processing signals from the sympathetic nervous system.
Selective Mutism is not a Learning disability, Emotional disturbance, nor a Speech/Language impairment. A Selectively Mute student who displays any of these conditions would then have an additional and separate education need.
Shy children are generally able to respond when they are asked questions, even though it may be quietly and with very few words. Children with selective mutism have specific situations or people (particularly at school) where they are not able to respond verbally at all.
While selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder often associated with young children, teens and adults can also suffer from SM. In many cases, teens with SM have been struggling with anxiety for years.
People who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing may text 911 or call 911 using their preferred form of phone communication (including voice, TTY, video relay, caption relay, or real-time text). If you do text 911 in an emergency, be aware that 911 dispatchers will ask you if they can call you.
These sounds don’t require vibrating vocal folds. … So, if someone has trouble talking because they have damage to the vocal folds in their larynx, they should still be able to whisper. They should also still be able to cough.
Swinbourne observes that deaf people don’t make the “achoo!” sound when they sneeze, while hearing people seem to do it all the time – in fact, he put it in his humorous list, The Top 10 Annoying Habits of Hearing People. Nor is “achoo” universal – it’s what English-speaking sneezers say. The French sneeze “atchoum”.
If a deaf person chooses to use their voice to communicate, they may have a deaf accent. … As a deaf person, without being able to hear for self-correction, it could take years of speech therapy and work with a professional to be able to learn how to voice. A deaf accent is just another accent!
The associations of identifying individuals as silent makes this term offensive due to both inaccuracy and the implications of being without a voice. … This label is technically inaccurate, since deaf and hard of hearing people generally have functioning vocal chords.
Can kids grow out of SM? Experts don’t know how many children with selective mutism will grow out of the disorder. But what we do know is that treating it becomes much harder the older a child is, so it is extremely important not to put off treatment.
Social anxiety is an anxiety disorder based on performance dynamics. Selective mutism is an example of social phobia as the anxiety has morphed into avoidance. Avoidance due to anxiety is a phobia. Selective mutism is also a manifestation of obsessive compulsive disorder.
The cause, or causes, are unknown. Most experts believe that children with the condition inherit a tendency to be anxious and inhibited. Most children with selective mutism have some form of extreme social fear (phobia). Parents often think that the child is choosing not to speak.
The SSA defines loss of speech as the “inability to produce by any means speech that can be heard, understood, or sustained.” Workers who suffer a loss of speech may qualify for Social Security benefits if they: Are completely mute (cannot speak at all)
Testing for Selective Mutism
Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about how and when your child talks. Your child should also see a psychologist or psychiatrist to see if he has a problem like anxiety. A speech-language pathologist, or SLP, can test your child’s speech and language.
Mute: A mute is a person who does not speak, either from an inability to speak or an unwillingness to speak. The term “mute” is specifically applied to a person who, due to profound congenital (or early) deafness, is unable to use articulate language and so is deaf-mute.
MYTH: All deaf people are mute. FACT: Some deaf people speak very well and clearly; others do not because their hearing loss prevented them from learning spoken language. Deafness usually has little effect on the vocal chords, and very few deaf people are truly mute.
Selective mutism falls within the category of Anxiety Disorders (APA, 2013, pp. 195–197). According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; APA, 2013, p.
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