What is it and how is it different from shyness?
A shy child in a new environment is silent at first, but after a while he gets used to it and begins to speak. With selective mutism, silence is consistently repeated in the same situations and does not go away on its own, even when the situation is no longer new. A disorder is indicated if a child does not speak where expected for at least a month, and the first month of adaptation to kindergarten or school does not count. At the same time, at home, speech is developed and ordinary, and the understanding of addressed speech is completely preserved.
- Speech is free at home, silent outside the home
- Duration of at least a month
- The first month of adaptation is not taken into account
- The child understands speech and wants to communicate
- Silence is not due to ignorance of the language
Causes and risk factors
The underlying cause is anxiety, not reluctance to speak. Many such children are naturally cautious and slowly get used to new things: this is an innate feature of their temperament. A family history of anxiety disorders and social phobia contributes. Additionally, the risk is increased by speech difficulties, due to which the child is embarrassed about his pronunciation, moving and studying in a second language, sudden changes in the team, conflicts and ridicule in the group, as well as overprotection, when adults are constantly responsible for the child. Important: the reason is not poor upbringing or stubbornness.
- An innate tendency to be anxious and cautious
- Anxiety disorders in parents
- Sound pronunciation disorders and speech delay
- Moving, bilingualism, learning in a non-native language
- Change of kindergarten, school, team
- Ridicule and bullying
- Overprotection and the habit of adults to speak for the child
How does it manifest itself?
The child freezes in anticipation of being addressed, looks away, hides behind the parent, responds with gestures, a nod, a whisper, or writes on paper. The face becomes tense, movements are constrained. In the garden, he may not ask to go to the toilet, not eat or complain of pain, because for this he needs to talk. At home, the same child is noisy, talkative and cheerful, which often confuses parents. Sometimes silence extends only to adults, but speech remains with peers.
- Silence in the garden, school, at the doctor, in the store
- Communicate with gestures, nods, whispers
- Stiffness, frozen posture, avoidance of gaze
- Refusal to use the toilet or to eat outside the home
- Free loud speech at home
- Complaints of abdominal pain and headache before gardening
- Refusal to go to kindergarten or school
Inspection: who checks what and what?
The first step is the pediatrician: he assesses general development, excludes diseases and refers to specialized specialists. Be sure to have your hearing checked, since hearing loss can look like a refusal to communicate. The speech therapist evaluates sound pronunciation, vocabulary and speech understanding, and for bilingual children, the level of proficiency in each language is separately assessed. A child psychologist collects information from parents and teachers, observes the child in different settings, and sometimes uses home video recordings of speech. Autism spectrum disorders and the consequences of psychotrauma are separately excluded.
- Pediatric examination and developmental assessment
- Hearing test
- Speech therapy examination
- Assessing proficiency in each language in bilingual children.
- Observation by a psychologist at home and in a group
- Information from educators and teachers
- Rule out autism, developmental delay and psychotrauma
How to help a child
It is not persuasion that works, but a gradual reduction in anxiety. They use a smooth inclusion technique: first, the child speaks with the parent alone in the office, then the teacher quietly joins them, then a peer, and the circle expands in small steps. Every success is celebrated with quiet praise. It is important for parents not to ask again, not to bribe with rewards for words and not to punish for silence, and also not to be responsible for the child. The school and kindergarten should allow non-verbal responses at the first stage. For severe anxiety in older children, a child psychiatrist may add medication support.
- Behavioral therapy with gradual expansion of social circle
- The work of a psychologist together with parents and teachers
- Allow nonverbal responses in the first stage
- Do not force anyone to speak and do not punish them for silence.
- Do not bribe or praise excessively for every word
- Give the child time to respond, do not interrupt
- Classes with a speech therapist for speech difficulties
- Medication support as decided by a child psychiatrist