Informations for Adults

Selective mutism affects children who do not speak in certain situations or to certain persons, while speaking is easily possible in other situations and in particular to familiar persons. 'Selective Mutism' is an anxiety disorder and affects about 1% of all children, although the number of unreported cases is probably even higher. Mistakenly, it is often assumed that the child is 'just a little shy' and parents seeking advice are rejected. While shy children usually begin to speak after a certain warm-up phase and become increasingly relaxed, the non-speaking of children with selective mutism has a high temporal stability. The symptoms of selectively mutistic children can be expressed in different forms. For example, some affected children seem "frozen" in anxiety-triggering situations. Others, on the other hand, may answer questions only mimically and gesturally, with short, brief remarks, very soft voices or whispering. Selective mutism can cause enormous impairments in the lives of children, who cannot behave as they would like due to their fear. This affects both school performance and communication with peers or teachers. In order to determine whether there is selective mutism in a child, a detailed psychological diagnosis is advisable.

Selective mutism is a disorder that usually manifests itself at the age of 2 to 5 years. According to recent studies, selective mutism results from a combination of several determinants that may play different roles in different children. Some children tend to be anxious or restrained already in infancy and react to new stimuli with tension and avoidance. If a child shows such an anxious temperament, this increases the probability of developing selective mutism later on. Studies have shown that there is a genetic influence in the development of selective mutism. Furthermore, the presence of a migration background seems to be a risk factor for the development of this disease. The learning of a new language and the associated insecurity in speaking plays a role here.

There are some false assumptions about development factors which, however, cannot be confirmed on the basis of the current state of research:

Selective mutism does not arise from a traumatic experience or traumatisation of the child.

Selective mutism is usually not a defiant reaction or a refusal to speak. Rather, the affected children cannot express themselves due to their intense fear, although they would like to speak.

Information for Parents

If you detect signs of selective mutism a detailed psychological diagnosis should be carried out. It is important to note that typical behaviours of selective mutism (e.g. silence, anxiety, restraint) are usually expressed mainly outside the family environment (e.g. at school). Therefore, selective mutism can also be present if the child speaks without problems at home.

If your child has a positive diagnosis: selective mutism is treatable.The earlier a treatment begins the better. Our department offers a consultation hour for parents and their children to support you in dealing with selective mutism.

Information for Educators & Teachers

Often the symptoms are often pronounced in kindergarten and school. Due to this, educators and teachers play an important role in the recognition of the disease. If you suspect that one of the children you are caring for may have selective mutism we recommend that you address this openly in a parental interview. The earlier this disease is detected and treated the better. Caring for and teaching a child with selective mutism is not easy and can lead to helplessness among caregivers. Therefore, cooperation between therapists, parents and the educators/teachers is important.