I have seen a number of children experiencing what is called Selective Mutism. I would typically see only clients with significant anxiety symptoms, panic attacks or obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Selective Mutism fits right in. SM is considered an anxiety disorder, and must be very carefully treated and requires a great deal of cooperation between the parents, teachers, school counselors and the primary care physician, most often a pediatrician with the therapist coordinating the treatment.

I had three such cases in one yea, and enjoyed seeing some very successful results. In my last and mot satisfying case, the young girl was about to enter High School, but has not spoken to anyone outside her family members since Kindergarten. Obviously, one would think that a child who does not speak, when there is nothing physically wrong, must have gone through some serious traumas. This young lady had not reported what one would call a trauma.

She is now talking rather fluently and is very pleased with herself, but her progress depended upon building a very special trust, a bond with me as her therapist. Our treatment consisted of taking very small steps to test that trust. Sometimes it went painstakingly slow, but I was patient with her and respected her efforts. Maybe she was really testing me !

When she did begin to speak to me, it had been after a step by step process of letting her know SHE HAD CONTROL of those steps, because I find with most anxiety disorders, the fear of being OUT OF CONTROL is one of the single most important issues to keep in mind during therapy. Once we prepared her to take the next step, speaking to her teacher and classmates after eight years of silence, she was successful, but within minutes after speaking and sharing, she went up to a child in the class and gave her a piece of her mind. I knew through our therapy, that there was both fear and anger involved in the complex of emotions that had held back her speech,but she would never report an issue.Once she had her voice, she asserted herself towards a girl who had been somewhat a bully since kindergarten.

Most of my child clients, but especially my SM clients, are fearful of expressing how they feel, for fear of rejection, embarrassment. They learn to keep their voice to themselves in order to protect themselves.

Their may be a little SM in many of you, in that, even though you may talk, you may avoid much of what you really need or want to say out of fear.

Just a thought !!!

Gene Benedetto, Psychologist/Emeritus/Coach