What happens if selective mutism is left untreated?
Selective Mutism is associated with functional impairments in educational, familial, social, or occupational settings. Left untreated, Selective Mutism may lead to increased stress within family units, decreased academic performance, and decreased socialization needed for appropriate development.
How do I overcame selective mutism?
- You should start using these methods to overcome selective mutism as soon as possible. ...
- For an older child or adult, it is more important to focus on positive thinking and improving interpersonal skills to reduce anxiety under social situations. ...
- Seek professional help early if symptoms are severe. ...
When should medication be used to treat selective mutism?
Treatment for Selective Mutism can include psychotherapy and medication to address the anxiety that underlies the person’s inability to speak in certain situations.
How do I know if I have selective mutism?
- Most affected children and adolescents function normally in other areas of their lives and are able to learn age appropriate skills despite not speaking in some important situations.
- Less than 1 % of the population has selective mutism.
- Girls and boys are both likely to develop this disorder.
What is best treatment for selective mutism?
The most research-supported treatment for selective mutism is behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy approaches, including gradual exposures, contingency management, successive approximations/ shaping, and stimulus fading, are successful in the treatment of childhood anxiety.
Should selective mutism be treated?
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.
Can you get rid of selective mutism?
It's possible for adults to overcome selective mutism, although they may continue to experience the psychological and practical effects of spending years without social interaction or not being able to reach their academic or occupational potential.
What is selective mutism and how is it treated?
Among the most effective methods of treating symptoms of selective mutism is CBT. This action-based and problem-solving talking therapy is carried out by highly trained therapists, where you or your older child can benefit from further understanding of the disorder and anxiety in general.
What triggers selective mutism?
Researchers are still learning about factors that can lead to selective mutism, such as: An anxiety disorder. Poor family relationships. Untreated psychological issues. Self-esteem problems.
What do I do if my child has selective mutism?
How to Help Your Child with Selective Mutism: 7 TipsFind a treating professional. ... Educate yourself and others about selective mutism. ... Allow warm-up time. ... Offer praise when the child communicates of their own free will. ... Don't require the child to answer in large groups. ... Play games with a verbal component.More items...
Is selective mutism on the spectrum?
It has been suggested that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be a “comorbid” condition in selective mutism (SM).
Is selective mutism a mental illness?
Selective mutism is in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition, or DSM-5. Doctors and others use the DSM-5 to help diagnose social and mental problems. In the DSM-5, a child with selective mutism may: Have an anxiety disorder.
How long can selective mutism last?
Symptoms of selective mutism Lasts at least one month – not limited to the first month of school. Failure to speak is not due to lack of knowledge about or comfort with the spoken language.
Does speech therapy help selective mutism?
A certified speech-language pathologist (SLP) generally has the appropriate training and skills to help treat children with communication deficits related to selective mutism (SM). Treatment requires knowledge of the disorder and information about the child's speech and language skills.
What happens if selective mutism is left untreated?
Selective Mutism is associated with functional impairments in educational, familial, social, or occupational settings. Left untreated, Selective Mutism may lead to increased stress within family units, decreased academic performance, and decreased socialization needed for appropriate development.
Can selective mutism be caused by trauma?
Selective Mutism is therefore a symptom. Children are rarely “just mute.” Emphasis needs to be on causes of the mutism and propagating factors of mutism. Studies have shown no evidence that the cause of Selective Mutism is related to abuse, neglect or trauma.
How to treat selective mutism?
Treatment begins with a thorough evaluation of the home and school environments . Next, the therapist develops a behavioral modification plan using the principles of operant conditioning. A clinician creating a behavioral modification plan for Selective Mutism would first identify the situations and people that prompt the mutism. The clinician will coach teachers and family members to avoid rewarding mutism. Next, the clinician would develop a reinforcement system that rewards appropriate behavior. In this case, the child is rewarded for making an effort to speak in challenging situations. The behavior plan might use a token system, where the child receives tickets or stickers for desirable behaviors. Later on, the child can trade tickets or stickers for candy, toys, or privileges of his or her choosing.
Why is selective mutism so difficult?
Treating selective mutism is difficult because the mutism is an effective (but short-term) strategy for reducing children's anxious feelings. Unlike adults, children cannot easily escape situations that create a high degree of anxious distress. However, mutism serves as a child's version of escape.
How does selective mutism affect children?
Selective mutism reduces children's visibility in social settings they deem frightening. From a behavioral perspective, people around the child often reinforce this behavior unknowingly. As children continue to refrain from speaking in situations that make them highly anxious, the people they interact with start to accept the mutism. They stop expecting the children to speak. The child learns they can get people to stop bothering them simply by persisting in their muteness.
Why is escape considered maladaptive?
As we've discussed, escapeis a common, but it is considered maladaptive because escape perpetuates the continuation of the disorder. In the short-term, escape reduces or eliminates anxiety. However, this strategy limits healing opportunities that lead to lasting recovery.
What is systematic desensitization?
It is called systematic desensitization. Through systematic desensitization, children gradually learn that an object, person, or situation is not actually a threat. At this point, Mutism should decrease, as there is no longer a need to use this type of behavior to cope with anxiety.
What is the best treatment for selective mutism?
The most research-supported treatment for selective mutism is behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy approaches, including gradual exposures, contingency management, successive approximations/ shaping, and stimulus fading, are successful in the treatment of childhood anxiety.
What Is Selective Mutism?
Selective Mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in which a child or adolescent fails to speak in specific social situations or to specific people (e.g., school, birthday parties, or to familiar adults), despite being able to speak in other situations and to other people (e.g., home, parents, or to peers).
How does selective mutism affect children?
Selective mutism causes significant impairment in daily functioning, academic performance, and/or social relationships. Due to the fear of speaking, children are unable to ask to use the bathroom or communicate when they are in pain, or fully participate in school or social activities. The duration of SM can last several months or persist for years, and, if left untreated, it can have many short-term and long-term negative consequences on a child’s life. These include depression, risk of developing other anxiety disorders, social isolation or withdrawal, poor academic performance or school refusal, and risk of substance abuse.
How to help older children with anxiety?
Cognitive strategies can be useful for older children when they can reflect upon their thoughts. Techniques include recognizing bodily cues of anxiety, identifying and challenging negative thought patterns, and putting together a coping plan for anxiety so that it is less likely to interfere with speaking behavior.
What is selective mutism?
Selective mutism is a complex childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child's inability to speak and communicate effectively in select social settings, such as school. An individual's pattern of mutism can vary greatly.
How to help a child with selective mutism?
Consistency in the intervention and expectations, at home and at school, of everyone on the team involved is important when working with children with selective mutism. When providing predictability and control for the child with selective mutism, he/she will feel a decrease in anxiety and an improvement in self image based on mastery of skills in a variety of settings (Kotrba, 2015). The use of social stories and scripting can be helpful ways to reduce the child's anxiety and uncertainty in a variety of social situations (Dow et al., 1995; Kotrba, 2015).
What is the evaluation of selective mutism?
Evaluation and assessment of children with selective mutism is accomplished through a collaborative approach with an interdisciplinary team consisting of a pediatrician, psychologist or psychiatrist, SLP, teacher, school social worker or guidance counselor, and family/caregivers. During the evaluation, parents/caregivers may need to help elicit verbal output. The SLP can also involve parents/caregivers by requesting a video recording of the child's communicative behavior at home and then compare the child's behavior in a clinical or school setting. Video recordings may also be used for subsequent language sample analysis.
Why is it important to collaborate with a speech pathologist?
Collaboration between the speech-language pathologist (SLP) and behavioral health professionals (such as a school or clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or school social worker), as well as the classroom teacher and the child's family, is particularly important for appropriate assessment and treatment planning as well as implementation because selective mutism is categorized as an anxiety-based disorder. SLPs are in an excellent position to coordinate intervention for children who have selective mutism because of their knowledge and skills in effective communication treatments (Schum, 2002).
When is selective mutism diagnosed?
Screening for selective mutism is conducted whenever selective mutism is suspected or as part of a comprehensive speech and language evaluation for any child with communication concerns. If a parent or caregiver reports that a child is communicating successfully at home but not in one or more settings, the SLP may want to consider the diagnosis of selective mutism.
What are the characteristics of selective mutism?
If they are able to express themselves, they may rely on gesturing, nodding, pointing, or whispering. They may have fears of being ignored, ridiculed, or harshly evaluated if they speak.
What is the incidence of selective mutism?
The incidence of selective mutism refers to the number of new cases identified in a specified time period. Prevalence is the number of individuals who are living with selective mutism in a given time period.
