-when the child becomes silent in certain situations.
Most children talk freely when they are safe at home. But for some children something very special happens: In certain situations – for example in kindergarten or school – they become completely silent and do not use their voice at all. If this silence persists and follows a fixed pattern, we may be talking about what we call Selective Mutism.
As a rule of thumb, you should react if a child does not speak. It is not something that the child just “grows out of”, and it is important to act on it – even if the child is only two or three years old. If the child speaks freely at home, the language should also be present in the institution.
How many are affected and when does it start?
It is a relatively rare condition that affects approximately 0.7 to 2 percent of Danish children. It typically starts at the age of 3-6, but we also see young people and adults with the diagnosis – often because they didn’t get the right help as children.
Regardless of age, it can have major consequences. It is difficult to thrive and develop your identity if you cannot express your needs or thoughts to others.
It’s not just shyness
It can be difficult to tell the difference between Selective Mutism and general shyness. Sometimes it is also confused with other things, such as autism, because both affect how you socialize with others.
In order for it to be Selective Mutism, however, there are some fixed criteria:
Duration: The silence must have lasted for at least one month.
Not language problems: It must not be because the child generally has difficulty with language or lacks vocabulary.
Security: The child must be able to speak normally in a safe environment (typically at home).
We most often see the condition in girls, and it also occurs more frequently in bilingual or multilingual children. Here, however, it is important to ensure that the silence is not just because the child has not yet learned the new language properly.
Two types of silence
A distinction is often made between two types:
1.The specific: The child is silent in very specific situations – e.g. towards teachers, but talks fine with peers and family.
2.The general: The child speaks mostly only to the closest family and is silent towards all other people and in all places other than at home.
In short, Selective Mutism is a form of anxiety where the child “locks” in his communication. The most widespread view among professionals and researchers today is that it is a form of deep-seated social anxiety and sometimes also separation anxiety, where the fear of losing or being abandoned takes over.
There is a need for an increased focus on early detection of selective mutism in Denmark. Research points to a tendency for several years to pass from the time the first symptoms appear until the child receives the right help (B. Oerbeck, Stein, Wentzel-Larsen, Langsrud, & Kristensen, 2014). This is connected to the fact that knowledge about the subject is still sparse among the practitioners who meet the children on a daily basis.
Selective mutism is a very complicated disorder. It requires great insight, patience and understanding. In the first instance, it is about making the child safe. The created, safe alliance is an important puzzle piece to enter the child’s universe and fundamentally so that the child can begin his life unfolding more clearly and find his voice in difficult situations.
I help children and young people to break the silence and regain security by communicating. I specialize in supporting children and young people who are challenged by limited access to their voice. Through many years of clinical experience, I create – in close collaboration with the everyday adults in the child’s life – the right framework for the individual to move from silence to better well-being.
Additional sources of information:
The National Board of Social Affairs and Health’s knowledge publication (2022): https://www.sbst.dk/udgiveller/2022/selektiv-mutisme-videnspublikation
The interest organization Selective Mutism Information and Research Association (SMIRA, Information for Professionals – SMIRA (selectivemutism.org.uk)
TED talk with psychologist Ruth Perednik can be seen here
