Selective mutism is a relatively rare childhood disorder characterized by the child's persistent inability to speak in certain social contexts (e.g. in the classroom), in which the child is expected to speak, in the face of normal, detectable language skills in other situations. Selective mutism affects the population in a percentage ranging from 0.1% to 0.7%, even if the data are not completely reliable, as this disorder often remains misunderstood. The onset can be placed, on average, in an age group between 2.7 and 4.2 years. This article provides advice on how to overcome this disorder and minimize its harmful effects, for the purpose of socializing the individual.
Steps
Step 1. See if you, a loved one, or a friend exhibit symptoms of this disorder
- Inability to express oneself in a certain social context (e.g. at school).
- Ability to speak or interact normally in other contexts.
- Inability to speak in certain situations, with negative repercussions on social or school life.
- Symptoms that persist for more than a month, if the first month of school is excluded (period of adaptation to the new context).
- Symptoms are not to be considered: being unfamiliar with the language spoken in a particular situation (e.g. a girl who is fluent in a given language, but with little knowledge of English, who remains silent when speaking English, is not affected by selective mutism).
- Symptoms Not they arise from other disorders such as autism, Asperger's syndrome, schizophrenia, or psychotic disorders.
- The inability to speak is not a voluntary choice, but comes from a state of anxiety.
Step 2. Evaluate the extent to which selective mutism affects your daily life
To overcome the problem you have to realize in what proportions it affects you. Find out what are the circumstances in which you are unable to speak. For example, a child may speak normally with his peers but be unable to communicate with adults. Another child may be able to speak and behave normally in the family, but remain completely mute in school. By recognizing the exact circumstances in which selective mutism occurs, you will be able to better address the problem.
Step 3. If you can get help, try to overcome the problem gradually through the "Stimulus Fading technique":
in a controlled environment, (where it is easy to find help), interact with someone you can easily talk to; then gradually insert another person into the conversation. Start with the person you feel most comfortable with and gradually work your way up to the person you find it harder to communicate with. This technique is based on the principle that the anxiety that a person with whom you are not comfortable causes you gradually dissolves during the interaction with a person with whom you are able to communicate comfortably.
Step 4. If the suggested technique fails or doesn't work completely, try to overcome selective mutism with the "Systematic Desensitization Technique":
imagine yourself first in a situation where you cannot speak, then in a situation where you speak, and then interact in that context with a person indirectly, e.g. by mail, letter, sms, chat, etc. Then progress with different interactions, such as phone conversations, remote interactions, and possibly more direct interactions. This method is also very effective with other disorders caused by specific anxiety and phobias. The method is aimed at overcoming that anxiety that makes it difficult to speak, through the gradual exposure to increasing levels of anxiety that cause that stimulus that will eventually be desensitized, to the point of overcoming the problem.
Step 5. Practice all kinds of conversations accustomed to paying attention, raising your hand, nodding, shaking your head, pointing, writing, maintaining eye contact, etc
He begins to speak a little at a time and gradually increases. Because of anxiety it is important to accept help and encouragement from others.
Try recording your own voice, then listen to yourself to get used to the conversation - this technique is called Modeling. Practice by starting to whisper while you are in a public place, such as an office or classroom, and then gradually increase the tone of your voice, until it reaches a normal level.
Step 6. Use "Contingency Management," through which you receive a simple reward for speaking in a situation that causes anxiety
Step 7. Focus on positive thoughts to overcome anxiety
Instead of thinking: I will not be able to speak, think; I have to be able to speak and I will if I commit myself!.
Step 8. Realize that the feeling of having butterflies in your belly (nervousness or trembling) is common in certain situations; therefore you should start with small groups
You may benefit from public conversation classes to learn how to present or even interview for a job. Public speaking people get used to that form of stress that arises when speaking or singing to a large audience. Sometimes even the most experienced people take drugs to control these stressful situations and to appear relaxed in front of the public. When you're forward in your career and naturally relaxed, you might want to relive those old emotions. Often, when you are on stage, you look at each other for support or encouragement. New social contexts are very stressful, as are large crowded spaces.
Step 9. The techniques listed above may not work in situations of severe selective mutism
In these cases you need to enlist the help of an expert and you may also need medicines. The most common drugs prescribed to reduce social anxiety include: fluoxetine (Prozac), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRL). The intake of drugs should be associated with the application of the techniques suggested to combat selective mutism.
Advice
Selective mutism can be a disabling and difficult to overcome disorder. The techniques shown do not work for everyone, especially in severe cases. Don't be discouraged, but try to overcome the problem with all the help you need
Personality Considerations
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Introverted people tend to be confident in what they say and compress everything into a sentence or paragraph to avoid speaking without thinking. They can come close if tested.
- Introverts distance themselves from controversies and comments through which certain aspects of their personality are highlighted.
- Conversely, extroverts like to speak out loud, amplify, grab attention for as long as possible and use techniques to grab the attention of others even when others consider it negative.
- It is important for a teenager or adult to focus on positive thinking and improve interpersonal skills to reduce anxiety in social situations.
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The lack of aggression seems to be more easily part of an introverted person, but it can come out in passive-aggressive situations, such as jokes, games, which do not involve direct confrontation as no one knows what the hidden behavior is. In some cases, a withdrawal reaction appears to be due to passive anger or paranoid feelings.
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some introverted people may find themselves experiencing a more serious one stage fright and they can react with confidence.
An extroverted person may react with defiance, anger, or excessive action in a situation where an introverted person would be overwhelmed
- Introverted people may be more open and outgoing when playing games that allow for mistakes and foolishness, but they tend not to show off or get noticed when mistakes are corrected or when there are exclusions from the game.
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- You can start using these techniques to overcome selective mutism as soon as possible as waiting would reinforce the wrong behaviors and make it more difficult to deal with the problem.
- See professionals if symptoms are severe.
- For a child, contingent management and shaping work well and have produced the first results after 13 weeks of treatment.
- Personalities have to be considered ambivalent (balanced interaction), introverted (closure and reluctance) ed extroverted (openness and assertiveness) as basic personality types, but subject to numerous possible variations. Ambivalents are well balanced and never excessive (reticent or assertive). Introversion and extroversion can be considered along a single common thread and therefore doing good on the one hand means doing bad on the other Excessive traits of recession (including reactions of mutism in certain public contexts), can be very common in the life of introverted people, but they can seem selective when the person is quite assertive and expressive, when you do not feel safe in certain places or when you are among trusted colleagues, friends or relatives.
