Situational mutism

Situational mutism is an anxiety disorder that prevents those affected from being able to talk in certain situations. Children with situational mutism have different boundaries around where they feel safe to talk, and who they feel safe to talk to.

It is not a choice, and it is not because they do not want to talk – they do! They need your help to make it possible.

It is called selective mutism in the DSM-5, a document health professionals use for diagnoses. We prefer situational mutism. We feel it is a more accurate way to name and describe what these children experience. We will use them both in our information, depending on which is more appropriate.

Sometimes children with situational mutism are referred to as ‘Quiet Children’. Sometimes this term is used before a diagnosis is made. A Speech and Language Therapist can make a diagnosis of selective mutism.

What you might notice if your child has situational mutism

Your child might:

talk confidently at home, and not yet be able to talk at school
talk confidently in familiar places, and not yet be able to talk in new places
find it harder to talk at home if people they don’t know are there

Older children with situational mutism may also display characteristics of other anxiety disorders. Sometimes the best help for your child may come from other professionals. We can help discuss this with you if we think it is the case.

Check out our Five Top Tips Video to find out more about how you can help:

Our advice leaflets contain lots of helpful information and ideas of things you can try.

Situational Mutism – 5 Top Tips leaflet [PDF 205KB]

What we can offer

Advice service

You can speak to one of our Speech and Language Therapists via our advice service. We can make suggestions about what might help and answer any questions you might have.

Our advice service is open every Thursday 9.30am to 12.30pm.
Tel: 01228 608177
Email: CumbriaCommmunicates@ncic.nhs.uk

Advice and support sessions

We run two online advice and support sessions that may be helpful. These are for parents and carers. We recommend calling the Advice Service to see which is the best fit. Or, you can ask by emailing us on the address below.

The sessions includes information on:

what situational mutism/selective mutism is
how it develops
what strategies you can use to help

To book a place email: SLTCumbriaTraining@ncic.nhs.uk

If you need to make a Request for Support

Anyone, including parents and carers, can request support from Speech and Language Therapy. You can do this via our Request for Support Form.

The support we offer is always tailored to the needs of your child. Some children benefit from individualised support, others benefit from support in their environment. Speech and Language Therapy support situational mutism where there is an impact on:

making friends
learning
joining in at home and at school
making choices and responding to change

Speech and Language Therapy may look like:

meeting a Speech and Language Therapist
your child completing some rating scales, doing some drawings, and other activities that help us get to know them
using strategies at home and in their nursery / school
important adults attending Advice and Support Sessions to understand Situational Mutism
making a plan to agree small steps that may help the child gain confidence talking

We discharge at a point when:

the adults around your child are confident in how to support them

we have discussed with you that other professionals may be better placed to deliver the support needed

Your child may also have support or therapy from another service. If the professionals are unsure of how to support a child with situational mutism we would encourage contact with our advice service. We can make suggestions and offer advice.

Speech and Language - information for families