Selective Mutism

Selective mutism, is a disorder that happens when you are young. From one, who experienced this "disorder" I was shy around people I did not know. When I came home from school, I was back to my normal self, loud and obnoxious.

It is a social anxiety disorder that causes people to not be able to speak in situations or people. Like me, a child with selective mutism could go to school for years without talking to anyone. I remember not talking to anyone from preschool to about first grade. I would not talk to the teachers or any of my class mates.

If you think that you once had selective mutism, or your son of daughter has it, these are some characterized by:
1. Consistent failure to speak in specific social situations
2. The disturbance interferes with educational or occupational achievement or with social communication.
3. The duration of the disturbance is at least 1 month (not limited to the first month of school).
4. The failure to speak is not due to a lack of knowledge of, or comfort with, the spoken language required in the social situation.
5. The disturbance is not better accounted for by a communication disorder (e.g., stuttering) and does not occur exclusively during the course of a pervasive developmental disorder, schizophrenia, or other psychotic disorder.

Typical sufferers have some of the following traits, some of which are often perceived as rudeness:
A difficulty in maintaining eye contact
A reluctance to smile and a tendency to have a blank facial expression
Stiff, awkward body movements
Particular anxiety in situations where speech is normally expected (answering school registers, saying hello, goodbye, thank you, etc.)
A tendency to worry about things more than other people, sometimes Generalized Anxiety Disorder
A sensitivity to noise and crowds or crowded situations
Difficulty with verbal and non-verbal expression
Frequent temper tantrums at home
Fear of using public restrooms
Compulsive traits, even Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Clinging behavior

Effective treatment is necessary for a child to develop properly. Without treatment, Selective Mutism can contribute to chronic depression and other social and emotional problems.