An Overview of Selective Mutism Essay

Another social and communication disorder is Asperger syndrome, this is characterised by the following; the individual may have difficulties in social interactions, a restricted range of interests, repetitive behaviours and also they may have a delay in motor development. This may be shown in the individual 's clumsiness or uncoordinated movements, however, those with Asperger 's syndrome don’t have significant delays in both language and cognitive development. There are a number of different symptoms of Asperger 's yet it is unlikely that they would all be present in one person. Each

A child that has a hearing impairment may suffer physically through loss of balance or socially through having to communicate in alternative ways such as sign language/makaton. A physical disability such as Cerebral Palsy can be physically challenging due to being restricted in taking part in certain activities. This can affect social situations due to these restrictions and can affect a child/young person emotionally questioning why they are different causing low self-esteem.

Children with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, or autism, may need more support in building relationships both with adults and with other children. They are likely to be less confident in their own abilities and are more likely to be introverts. On the other hand, children with certain medical conditions may be extroverted and need additional help to build the right sort of communication and relationship skills with others.

Social competency can be defined as skills related to interaction with others (peers, family, authority figures, nonfamiliar speakers, etc.) both verbally and nonverbally. This may be due in part to the affect on facial expressions (Geirdal, Overland, Heimdal, Storhaug, Asten & Akre, 2013, p. 2880). This may also be due to the significant amount of time that children with TCS (individuals whose phenotypic symptoms are severe enough to be noticed as neonates, infants, and young children) spend in hospitals/away from peers in natural contexts. This lack of experience affects language, and language is associated with both theory of mind and social competency, as they are both in-turn also associated with language. Each entity is interconnected with one another. Language age is associated with social competency and children with hearing loss often have language delays. Furthermore, social competency is likely affected by the inability to maintain peer relationships due to ostracization from peers, ostracization that may be due to either hearing loss and/or physical differences. Not to mention, the speech-hearing and physical disabilities are likely to affect self-esteem, which will negatively influence participation and

Most children are diagnosed during the first years of schooling, when the child’s teacher is usually the first to bring concerns to the parents/caregivers and the school administration. Often it is not until children enter school and there is an expectation to perform, interact and speak, that selective mutism becomes more obvious. Moreover, when school starts, children also experience difficulties

Communication is vital in life, whether it be from simply having a conversation with someone or trying to understand what they are saying and if a person has a speech disorder, that can make life very complicated. Children with speech disorders may have trouble producing sounds to use spoken language to communicate with people and may have trouble understanding what people are trying to say. Children with speech disorders may have problems with vocal quality, articulation, fluency, hearing, and intellectual abilities. Those difficulties that children may face due to speech disorders can potentially cause setbacks in their everyday life which is why Midlands Therapy Services tries to help children reach their full potential. Midlands Therapy

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also know as social phobia, affects between 1.6% and 4.0% of children. Like other anxiety disorders, girls are more likely to be diagnosed with SAD than boys (Chavira & Stein, 2002). The defining features of SAD are excessive self-consciousness that is more than just common shyness. Individuals with SAD fear social or performance situations where they may face scrutiny or humiliation. The two subtypes of SAD are generalized and non-generalized. Approximately 75% of individuals with SAD experience the generalized type, which is characterized by experiencing distress in almost all social situations. Non-generalized SAD is characterized by experiencing anxiety in only one or two types of interpersonal situations, like public speaking. Generalized social anxiety disorder has high comorbidity with major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and ADHD. Non-generalized SAD however has low comorbidity with other disorders. Children with selective mutism have a significantly high comorbidity rate with SAD, about 97% to 100% (Chavira & Stein, 2005).

The purpose of Compansano’s article was to increase awareness of the disorder Selective Mutism and the issues connected with the anxiety disorder. Compansano addresses the current treatments, and the need for early intervention. Compansano concludes her article by suggesting the need for more research and training for educational counselors. Compansano described Selective Mutism by using the American Psychiatric Association’s definition as “persistent failure to speak in specific social situations (e.g., school, with playmates) where speaking is expected, despite communicating in other situations” (American Psychiatric Association,

A new disorder has been added to the DSM-5 and this is: social communication disorder. Children with this disorder will have continuous difficulties in the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication. They have difficulties with pragmatics the unspoken, subtle rules of spoken language that allow people to connect. They don’t always understand the art of two-way conversation. Some of them monopolize conversations or interrupt a lot. Others may hesitate to talk at all.

This study was a quantitative study using and exploratory, descriptive design to explore the role of the school psychologists, their involvement, knowledge and training regarding the Selective Mutism child. The study’s purpose was to measure how much knowledge the school psychologists had regarding intervention used when an SM child was identified. The research questions developed (Ellis, 2015):

The signs of autism vary considerably among children and as they continue to develop. Early deficits in social awareness and communication have a negative effect on the development of later important behaviors. A child who is not socially engaged and does not learn to communicate effectively is at a definite disadvantage in learning more complex and subtle social and communicative skills. Also, individuals with autism disorder have markedly different social and emotional actions and reactions than non-autistic individuals. For example, many autistic children do not seem to care whether or not they get attention from their parents. Many autistic individuals seem to have an impairment in one or more of their senses. This impairment can involve the auditory, visual, tactile, taste, vestibular, olfactory (smell), and proprioceptive senses. These senses may be hypersensitive, hyposensitive, or may result in the person experiencing interference such as in the case of tinnitus, (a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears). As a result, it may be difficult for individuals with autism to process incoming sensory information

This disorder is important to me for two reasons: 1) my adopted granddaughter has Selective Mutism, and 2) there is very little awareness about the disorder and especially in education. Since this disorder is not well known and usually diagnosed incorrectly as shyness rather than an anxiety disorder by primary care physicians, this hampers this population from getting immediate treatment. Moreover, what is strange, at home, the child does not manifest this anxiety disorder and speaks in a normal fashion (Harwood, & Bork, 2011). To adequately support the Selective Mutism child, there is a need to provide classroom support, along with, teacher, parents, and school psychologist awareness. An intensive training program for all teaching staff and educational psychologist is needed to accomplish this. (Shipon-Blum,

The cause of selective mutism differs on the case of the person. Selective mutism is hard to categorize because so many cases are different each having their own cause and effect. Many would say that the children with SM are stubborn and choosing not to speak. The reality of it is that these children really do want to have friends and to be active in the classroom but themselves won't let them. Their parents usually just think it’s shyness and sometimes punish the child for not talking or being social. The children can’t help it and it’s sad to think that not a lot of people know about this disorder because many children suffer with it. They

Selective Mutism is a changeable anxiety issue defined by a child 's lack of talk in different social places, for example, school. These children can talk and communicate where they are friendly, secure, and relaxed most of the times these students are very talkative at home but in the school they don 't talk. I have seen a lot of students like that they are super shy in the school but when I have a chance to visit their home they are very talkative. Also, I know some of these students are very smart but they don 't respond to any question but when I checked their writing responses it is perfect. I have seen different students like that some of them have genetic problems about anxiety. Also, some of the kids have serious anger problems at home but in the school they are shy and unresponsive to the environment. I have seen a lot of K-5 classrooms, and most of them are look like a room of a house I think it will help to reduce anxiety. Unfortunately, it is hard to set up the same environment in high school classes.

When a child is unable to speak around certain people or in certain settings they may have an anxiety disorder called selective mutism. ("Parents Guide to Selective Mutism." Child Mind Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2017. page 1) It is very common for kids with selective mutism to be very chatty at home with family and friends but then silent at school right every other public setting. Parents start noticing the size of selective mutism at around age 3 or four. Although of the disorder might not be diagnosed until he/she is school-aged, when their speech problems become more evident. Child with selective mutism could go a whole year in the classroom or other school setting without talking to the teacher, Students, or counselors. Usually kids with selective mutism are very well behaved and polite meaning they listen they just don't know how to communicate is someone there not comfortable with, so their silence can be misunderstood as shyness but is usually never addressed as a possible wall/barrier to their learning. According to the parent’s guide to select mutism from the child mind Institute selective mutism can cause significant impairment in a child's life. It can interfere with kid’s performances at school, both academically and