1) Selective mutism is a disorder where a person is unable to speak in certain social settings due to extreme anxiety and fear, such as at school, but is able to speak normally at home with family. 2) Symptoms include failure to speak in social situations, shyness, difficulty making eye contact, stiffness, worry, sensitivity to noise/crowds, and sleep problems. 3) Causes are believed to be social anxiety, genetics, brain differences like an overactive amygdala, and environmental factors like family stress or a misunderstanding of the disorder. With treatment including psychotherapy and speech therapy, children can often overcome selective mutism.

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PRESENTED BY-
AYUSHI PATHAK 13609068
PRACHI MITTAL-13609088
GAURAV SINGH RANA-13609071
AARSHIA SAXENA-13609065
SHUBHAM
SAKSHI KULHANS-

2. Introduction
Meaning
SELECTIVE MUTISM 2
• Selective mutism (SM),
formerly called elective
mutism, is defined as a
disorder of childhood
characterized by an inability
to speak in certain settings

3. Features
• Persons with selective mutism are able to speak freely
to close family and friends when nobody else is
listening – for example, when they're at home.
• It's important to understand that when the mutism
happens, the child is not voluntarily refusing to speak
but is literally unable to speak, feeling frozen.
• Experts believe Selective Mutism is a phobia of talking.
SELECTIVE MUTISM 3

4. Symptoms
• Failure to speak in specific social situations
• Shyness
• Difficulty maintaining eye contact
• Blank expression and reluctance to smile
• Stiff and awkward movements
• Difficulty expressing feelings, even to family
members
• Tendency to worry more than most people of the
same age SELECTIVE MUTISM 4

5. Symptoms
• Desire for routine and dislike of changes
• Sensitivity to noise and crowd
• Moodiness
• Sleep problems
SELECTIVE MUTISM 5

6. Causes
• Social anxiety
• Culture backgrounds
• Negative reinforcement
• Unsolved conflict feature
• Genetics
• Brain Differences
 Ex. Hyper-active amygdala (responsible for feelings)
• Environment
 Parents and school misunderstanding and enabling
 Family stress and troubles
 Child modeling
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7. How Can It Be Diagnosed-
SELECTIVE MUTISM 7
•The child will display interactive
ability with appropriate verbal
skills at home or at the presence
of few individuals whom they feel
at ease.

8. SELECTIVE MUTISM 8
•Selective mutism had restricted to make
friends and often misunderstood as rude
and shy.
•Thus people are not invited in meeting
and in gatherings as they don’t help in
deriving to a conclusion they restricts
decisions.

9. Consequences
• Indicated feelings of isolation, rejection, discomfort,
worry, anxiety, stress, fear, panic, frustration, anger,
sadness and loneliness.
• Several expresses a desire to be like others and be able
to join in by talking.
SELECTIVE MUTISM 9

10. Positive Side
• Above-average intelligence, perception, or
inquisitiveness
• Creativity and a love for art or music
• Empathy and sensitivity to others' thoughts
and feelings
• A strong sense of right and wrong
SELECTIVE MUTISM 10

11. How to Deal With Selective
Mutism
• If left untreated, SM can lead to isolation, low self-
esteem and social anxiety disorder. It can persist into
adolescence and even adulthood if not tackled.
• With diagnosis at a young age and appropriate
management, children can successfully overcome this
disorder.
SELECTIVE MUTISM 11

12. Steps to be taken
Treatment-
SELECTIVE MUTISM 12
Refer for testing and
treatment
Allow other means of
communication like
Text messages, email
Collaborate with teachers
to set up group in which is
paired with preferred
peer.
Involve the child with peers
in various activities.

13. Suggestions
• Children with selective mutism need psychotherapy to
address their anxiety disorder in conjunction with
speech and language treatment.
• If the mutism is first identified in the school setting, the
Selective people should counsel the parents for a referral
to a child psychotherapist who is experienced with this
disorder.
SELECTIVE MUTISM 13

14. Suggestions
• The selective learning people can consult with the
teacher on different methods of instruction and
assessment of the child
• The Selective learning process can facilitate
generalization of communication skills from
psychotherapy to the school setting.
SELECTIVE MUTISM 14

15. SELECTIVE MUTISM 15