Selective mutism is a condition in which a child who can speak well stops speaking, usually in school or social settings.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
The cause of selective mutism is unknown. Most experts believe that children with the condition inherit a tendency to be anxious and inhibited. Most children with this condition have some form of extreme
Parents often think that the child is refusing to speak, but usually the child is truly unable to speak in certain settings.
Some affected children have a family history of selective mutism, extreme shyness, or anxiety disorders, which may increase their risk for similar problems. This condition is most common in children under age 5.
This syndrome is not the same as mutism. In selective mutism, the child has the ability to both understand and speak, but fails to speak in certain settings or environments. Children with mutism never speak.
Review Date: 02/28/2010
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of
Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of
Medicine; and Michelle Benger Merrill, MD, Instructor in Clinical
Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical
Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA,
Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
