Do you find that your teenager struggles to speak in some situations or environments, when otherwise they speak with ease and clarity? This could mean they are experiencing selective or situational mutism.

For teenagers who are experiencing selective mutism, the issue can be long-standing and complex. We know that they can’t control when it happens but it’s something which can cause upset and frustration for both the teenager themselves and for those supporting them.

To aid your knowledge and give you the confidence to support your teenager, we are hosting a webinar on 22 April with speech and language expert Libby Hill.

Tickets can be secured here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1001260897297

What is selective mutism?

Selective Mutism is considered to be a severe anxiety disorder where an individual becomes unable to speak in certain social situations. However, describing it as an anxiety disorder doesn’t quite help understand the condition. It can be better described as a behaviour that occurs during a situation where an individual does not feel safe. Behaviour is communication, and in knowing that we can seek to know what the cause of this behaviour is.

Situational Mutism is a much more apt way to describe it. A situation triggers a freeze response where an individual loses the ability to communicate verbally.

It is NOT a conscious decision to not talk

It is NOT elective

It IS a form of communication that needs are not met

It can be a TRAUMA response

The difference between anxiety and hypervigilance?

Knowing the difference between anxiety and hypervigilance is key to understanding Selective Mutism.

When we experience anxiety, that is our bodies way of alerting us of danger.

When we become hypervigilant, we are assuming that danger is already there which creates a state of constant anxiety.

Signs of Selective Mutism

Feeling safe in your environment

Key to supporting teenagers with selective mutism is to make their environment feel safe. There are several ways we can do that:

Want to learn even more:

In our webinar on 22 April, Libby Hill will be covering the following which will be so useful to you if selective mutism is something which your child struggles with:

Tickets can be secured here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1001260897297