Selective Mutism Overview
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition, (DSM-IV), lists selective mutism in the category of disorders that are first diagnosed in infancy, childhood or adolescence. Selective mutism is characterized by one’s persistent failure to speak in certain social situations (e.g. with friends, at school) when they are expected to speak. The disorder can last for just a few months or even up to several years. The causes of the disorder are much debated; some believe that it may actually be a form of social phobia.
In order to be diagnosed with selective mutism, the symptoms must last for at least one month (not including the first month of school because the child may be shy and hesitant to …show more content…
Its onset occurs usually before the age of 5, but it is often only discovered when the child first begins school. This is because most children with selective mutism have no problem with speaking at home with their parents, but rather only in strange settings with unfamiliar people.
There are many different perspectives regarding selective mutism. Psychodynamic theorists view selective mutism as a manifestation of unresolved conflict. For example, a child who is orally fixated ‘punishes’ his or her parents by choosing not to speak in certain situations. The child may be keeping a family secret, displacing anger towards a parent or regressing to a previous nonverbal stage . In this way, the mutism allows the child to cope with the anger or anxiety. The psychodynamic view has lost popularity for a more suitably sounding behavioral perspective.
Behavioral theorists view selective mutism as the outcome to a long series of negatively reinforced learning patterns or as a "learned response in which the refusal to speak is a method of manipulating the environment". Therefore the child's behavior is viewed as adaptive rather than …show more content…
In a study of 30 children with selective mutism, 97% were diagnosed with SAD. The most common medicine given for selective mutism are antidepressant medications which consist of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) since there is a relation between selective mutism and anxiety disorders. Previous research has shown the effectiveness of fluoxetine, sertraline and fluvoxamine in the treatment of selective mutism and anxiety disorders. The following case study describes the case of an 8 year old girl, diagnosed with SAD and selective mutism, who responded positively to paroxetine medication. The patient was diagnosed before the age of 1 with significant separation anxiety. Separation anxiety in some degree is typical in young children; however, at 7 months the patient’s anxiety was much greater than the norm. Her anxiety was so intense that her parents could not leave her with a sitter even for a short
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition, (DSM-IV), lists selective mutism in the category of disorders that are first diagnosed in infancy, childhood or adolescence. Selective mutism is characterized by one’s persistent failure to speak in certain social situations (e.g. with friends, at school) when they are expected to speak. The disorder can last for just a few months or even up to several years. The causes of the disorder are much debated; some believe that it may actually be a form of social phobia.
In order to be diagnosed with selective mutism, the symptoms must last for at least one month (not including the first month of school because the child may be shy and hesitant to …show more content…
Its onset occurs usually before the age of 5, but it is often only discovered when the child first begins school. This is because most children with selective mutism have no problem with speaking at home with their parents, but rather only in strange settings with unfamiliar people.
There are many different perspectives regarding selective mutism. Psychodynamic theorists view selective mutism as a manifestation of unresolved conflict. For example, a child who is orally fixated ‘punishes’ his or her parents by choosing not to speak in certain situations. The child may be keeping a family secret, displacing anger towards a parent or regressing to a previous nonverbal stage . In this way, the mutism allows the child to cope with the anger or anxiety. The psychodynamic view has lost popularity for a more suitably sounding behavioral perspective.
Behavioral theorists view selective mutism as the outcome to a long series of negatively reinforced learning patterns or as a "learned response in which the refusal to speak is a method of manipulating the environment". Therefore the child's behavior is viewed as adaptive rather than …show more content…
In a study of 30 children with selective mutism, 97% were diagnosed with SAD. The most common medicine given for selective mutism are antidepressant medications which consist of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) since there is a relation between selective mutism and anxiety disorders. Previous research has shown the effectiveness of fluoxetine, sertraline and fluvoxamine in the treatment of selective mutism and anxiety disorders. The following case study describes the case of an 8 year old girl, diagnosed with SAD and selective mutism, who responded positively to paroxetine medication. The patient was diagnosed before the age of 1 with significant separation anxiety. Separation anxiety in some degree is typical in young children; however, at 7 months the patient’s anxiety was much greater than the norm. Her anxiety was so intense that her parents could not leave her with a sitter even for a short