Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Elective mutism

Selective mutism is a social anxiety condition, in which a person who is quite capable of speech, is unable to speak in given situations. more...

Home
Diseases
A
B
C
D
E
Ebola hemorrhagic fever
Ebstein's anomaly
Eclampsia
Ectodermal Dysplasia
Ectopic pregnancy
Ectrodactyly
Edwards syndrome
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Ehrlichiosis
Eisoptrophobia
Elective mutism
Electrophobia
Elephantiasis
Ellis-Van Creveld syndrome
Emetophobia
Emphysema
Encephalitis
Encephalitis lethargica
Encephalocele
Encephalomyelitis
Encephalomyelitis, Myalgic
Endocarditis
Endocarditis, infective
Endometriosis
Endomyocardial fibrosis
Enetophobia
Enterobiasis
Eosinophilia-myalgia...
Eosinophilic fasciitis
Eosophobia
Ependymoma
Epicondylitis
Epidermolysis bullosa
Epidermolytic hyperkeratosis
Epididymitis
Epilepsy
Epiphyseal stippling...
Epistaxiophobia
EPP (erythropoietic...
Epstein barr virus...
Equinophobia
Ergophobia
Erysipelas
Erythema multiforme
Erythermalgia
Erythroblastopenia
Erythromelalgia
Erythroplakia
Erythropoietic...
Esophageal atresia
Esophageal varices
Esotropia
Essential hypertension
Essential thrombocythemia
Essential thrombocytopenia
Essential thrombocytosis
Euphobia
Evan's syndrome
Ewing's Sarcoma
Exencephaly
Exophthalmos
Exostoses
Exploding head syndrome
Hereditary Multiple...
Hereditary Multiple...
Hereditary Multiple...
Hereditary Multiple...
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Medicines

Description

In the DSM-IV selective mutism is described as a rare psychological disorder in children. Children (and adults) with the disorder are fully capable of speech and understanding language, but fail to speak in certain social situations when it is expected of them. They function normally in other areas of behaviour and learning, though appear severely withdrawn and might be unwilling to participate in group activities. It is like an extreme form of shyness, but the intensity and duration distinguish it. As an example, a child may be completely silent at school, for years at a time, but speak quite freely or even excessively at home.

The disorder is not regarded as a communication disorder, in that most children communicate through facial expressions, gestures, etc. In some cases, selective mutism is a symptom of a pervasive developmental disorder or a psychotic disorder.

In diagnosis, it can be easily confused with autistic spectrum disorder, or Aspergers, especially if the child acts particularly withdrawn around his or her psychologist. Unfortunately, this can lead to incorrect treatment.

Selective mutism is usually characterised by the following:

  1. The person does not speak in specific places such as school or other social events.
  2. The person can speak normally in at least one environment. Normally this is in the home.
  3. The person's inability to speak interferes with his or her ability to function in educational and/or social settings.
  4. The mutism has persisted for at least a month and is not related to change in the environment.
  5. The mutism is not caused by another communication disorder and does not occur as part of other mental disorders.

The former name elective mutism indicates a widespread misconception even among psychologists that selective mute people choose to be silent in certain situations, while the truth is that they are forced by their extreme anxiety to remain silent; despite their will to speak they just cannot make any voice. To reflect the involuntary nature of this disorder, its name has been changed to selective mutism in 1994. However, misconceptions still prevail; for instance, the ABC News erroneously attributed the cause of selective mutism to trauma and described it as willful in a report dated May 26, 2005.

The incidence of selective mutism is not certain. Owing to the poor understanding of the general public on this condition, many cases are undiagnosed. Based on the number of reported cases, the figure is commonly estimated to be 1 in 1000. However, in a 2002 study in The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the figure has increased to 7 in 1000.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


The Sledding Hill $10.14 Helping Your Child With Selective Mutism: Steps to Overcome a Fear of Speaking $10.01
Easing School Jitters for the Selectively Mute Child $30.00 Silent to the Bone $0.68
Flying Solo $0.01 Cat's Got Your Tongue?: A Story for Children Afraid to Speak $6.12
I Can't Tell You $0.80 The Last Codfish $3.26
The Only Alien on the Planet $3.90 The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang (Ag Fiction (American Girl)) $0.01

Elective mutism in family practice
Elective mutism is defined as a persistent refusal to speak in school or in other social situations when there is an ability to comprehend spoken language.
Narrative Skills in Children With Selective Mutism: An Exploratory Study
Selective mutism (SM) is a rare and complex disorder associated with anxiety symptoms and speech-language deficits; however, the nature of these language ...
Identifying mutism's etiology in a child
S.K., a 5-year-old girl, hadn't spoken to her teachers during preschool, and she was about to begin kindergarten. S.K.'s preschool teachers told her parents ...
Shaping
A gradual, behavior modification technique in which successive approximations to the desired behavior is rewarded.
Shaping
A gradual, behavior modification technique in which successive approximations to the desired behavior is rewarded.
Causes of Speech Delay in Children - Brief Article
MIAMI BEACH -- Delayed acquisition of speech is not always due to late maturation in children, Dr. N. Paul Rosman reminded physicians at a pediatric ...
Evaluation and Management of the Child with Speech Delay
A delay in speech development may be a symptom of many disorders, including mental retardation, hearing loss, an expressive language disorder, psychosocial ...
Speech and Language Delay:
What Does This Mean for My Child? How do I know if my child has speech delay? If your child doesn't talk as much as most children of the same age, ...

Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay