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Selective
Mutism Foundation, Inc. is the Voice of Experience.
An ethical, non-profit, public service organization since 1991.
This
website is presented to broaden public awareness and understanding of
Selective
Mutism.
Selective
Mutism is a childhood anxiety
disorder with a persistent FAILURE
(not refusal) TO SPEAK in select social settings.
ATTENTION: ADULTS 21+ IN THE
FORT LAUDERDALE &
TRI-COUNTY AREA!
A new Peer Support Group is forming for
Social Anxiety/Shyness. Other anxieties welcomed! OCD, Panic,
TS, etc.
Group will meet on 3/28/13,
Thursday and 4/26/13,
Friday from 5:30PM-7:00PM,
and then monthly at the Center for Independent Living of
Broward, located at 4800 N. State Road
7,
Suite
102,
Fort Lauderdale,
FL
33319.
Refreshments will be served! Enjoy an
evening of socialization!
Sponsored by
CIL of Broward and the Selective Mutism Foundation, Inc. To
RSVP, scheduled meetings dates/times, or for more info
contact:
Sue@selectivemutismfoundation.org
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Selective
Mutism is an anxiety disorder
characterized by not
speaking outside the home to select individuals or in select settings,
which continues for more than 1 month. Most commonly found in children,
they understand spoken language.
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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV and
DSM IV-TR) under Selective Mutism Diagnostic Features and Differential
Diagnosis, clearly indicate that Selective Mutism should be
distinguished from speech impairments, and that Selective Mutism should
be diagnosed if the child’s failure to speak is not
considered
language impairment.
To Read
More...
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The
following questions can be used to help you recognize the symptoms of
Selective Mutism.
To
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Some
younger
children may copy the silent behavior of a sibling with Selective
Mutism. Although
the
younger child may be
a bit shy by nature most of the not speaking is a learned behavior. The
younger child usually does not have any
symptoms of...
To Read
More...
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As
a parent, you
must be your child’s biggest advocate! You
will become empowered when you saturate yourself with information and
knowledge! You need
to
develop social
skills when they are young. This
helps
later in life in relationships with spouses, friends, and co-workers.
To Read More...
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Most
parents
wish they could see into the future to know what lies ahead for their
child so they can make the best choices and decisions when coping with
Selective Mutism.
To Read
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Associated
behaviors may include no eye contact, no facial expression, immobility,
or nervous fidgeting when confronted with general expectations in
social situations. These
symptoms do
not
indicate willfulness, but rather an attempt to control rising anxiety.
To Read
More... |
The
Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM (I) was
first published in 1952 as an effort to provide descriptive diagnostic
categories to serve as a useful guide for clinicians in diagnosing
mental disorders. The manual was updated throughout the years...
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Selective
Mutism was first
reported by a German physician, Kussmaul, in 1877.
He
described physically normal children who
developed mutism in certain situations. He
called the condition “Asphasia Voluntaria”, meaning
voluntary mutism.
To Read
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" I
suffered with Selective Mutism all my life. Now,
I finally got out of my shell and I am
speaking to people. I
had a few jobs
in
the past that I never had before when I was in high school. It
was hard to get a job but I did it. I
just went to interviews and spoke up to the
manager and told him I was a great worker..."
To Read More...
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The Selective
Mutism Foundation (1991) was the major source in bringing this disorder
to the forefront.
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