Healthinmind/Mental Health Disorders/Infant, Child and Adolescent Disorders

Selective Mutism

This diagnosis is assigned to children who refuse to talk in some situations. To receive the diagnosis, the failure to talk must be consistent over a period of at least 1 month. The mutism must occur despite familiarity and comfort with the language usually used by the child. As usual, the mutism must interfere with some aspect of the child's life and must not be better accounted for by any other diagnosis. Selective Mutism usually disappears with time, but may last for years without treatment.

You can visit the web site of the Selective Mutism Foundation for more information. You can also Visit a web site with a slightly longer discussion of selective mutism and useful links to other sites. 

                                                                                                                                Last updated  12/19/03