Causes[edit]
Selective mutism (SM) is an umbrella term for the condition of otherwise well-developed children who cannot speak or communicate under certain settings. The exact causes that affect each child may be different and yet unknown. There have been attempts to categorize, but there are no definitive answers yet due to the under-diagnosis and small/biased sample sizes. Many people are not diagnosed until late in childhood only because they do not speak at school and therefore fail to accomplish assignments requiring public speaking. Their involuntary silence makes the condition harder to understand or test. Parents often are unaware of the condition since the children may be functioning well at home. Teachers and pediatricians also sometimes mistake it for severe shyness or common stage fright.
Selective mutism occurs in all racial and ethnic groups. The majority of reported cases are of white and interracial children. However this could be due to under-diagnosis and under-reporting in other ethnic groups.
Most children with selective mutism are hypothesized to have an inherited predisposition to anxiety. They often have inhibited temperaments, which is hypothesized to be the result of over-excitability of the area of the brain called the amygdala.[14] This area receives indications of possible threats and sets off the fight-or-flight response. Given the very high overlap between social anxiety disorder and selective mutism (as high as 100% in some studies[5][6][7]), it is possible that social anxiety disorder causes selective mutism.
Some children with selective mutism may have trouble processing sensory information. This would cause anxiety and a sense of being overwhelmed in unfamiliar situations, which may cause the child to "shut down" and not be able to speak (something that some autistic people also experience). Many children with selective mutism have some auditory processing difficulties.
About 20–30% of children with SM have speech or language disorders that add stress to situations in which the child is expected to speak.[15]
Despite the change of name from "elective" to "selective", a common misconception remains that a selectively mute child is defiant or stubborn. In fact, children with SM have a lower rate of oppositional behavior than their peers in a school setting.[16] Some previous studies on the subject of selective mutism have been dismissed as containing serious flaws in their design. According to a more recent systematic study it is believed that children who have selective mutism are not more likely than other children to have a history of early trauma or stressful life events.[17] Another recent study by Dummit et al., in 1997 did not find any evidence of trauma in their sample of children. Recent evidence has shown that trauma doesn't explain why most children with selective mutism develop the condition.[18] Many children who have Selective Mutism almost always speak confidently in some situations. Children who have experienced trauma however are known to suddenly stop speaking
Causes[edit]Selective mutism (SM) is an umbrella term for the condition of otherwise well-developed children who cannot speak or communicate under certain settings. The exact causes that affect each child may be different and yet unknown. There have been attempts to categorize, but there are no definitive answers yet due to the under-diagnosis and small/biased sample sizes. Many people are not diagnosed until late in childhood only because they do not speak at school and therefore fail to accomplish assignments requiring public speaking. Their involuntary silence makes the condition harder to understand or test. Parents often are unaware of the condition since the children may be functioning well at home. Teachers and pediatricians also sometimes mistake it for severe shyness or common stage fright.Selective mutism occurs in all racial and ethnic groups. The majority of reported cases are of white and interracial children. However this could be due to under-diagnosis and under-reporting in other ethnic groups.Most children with selective mutism are hypothesized to have an inherited predisposition to anxiety. They often have inhibited temperaments, which is hypothesized to be the result of over-excitability of the area of the brain called the amygdala.[14] This area receives indications of possible threats and sets off the fight-or-flight response. Given the very high overlap between social anxiety disorder and selective mutism (as high as 100% in some studies[5][6][7]), it is possible that social anxiety disorder causes selective mutism.Some children with selective mutism may have trouble processing sensory information. This would cause anxiety and a sense of being overwhelmed in unfamiliar situations, which may cause the child to "shut down" and not be able to speak (something that some autistic people also experience). Many children with selective mutism have some auditory processing difficulties.About 20–30% of children with SM have speech or language disorders that add stress to situations in which the child is expected to speak.[15]Despite the change of name from "elective" to "selective", a common misconception remains that a selectively mute child is defiant or stubborn. In fact, children with SM have a lower rate of oppositional behavior than their peers in a school setting.[16] Some previous studies on the subject of selective mutism have been dismissed as containing serious flaws in their design. According to a more recent systematic study it is believed that children who have selective mutism are not more likely than other children to have a history of early trauma or stressful life events.[17] Another recent study by Dummit et al., in 1997 did not find any evidence of trauma in their sample of children. Recent evidence has shown that trauma doesn't explain why most children with selective mutism develop the condition.[18] Many children who have Selective Mutism almost always speak confidently in some situations. Children who have experienced trauma however are known to suddenly stop speaking
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