Current Challenges in the Diagnosis and Management of Selective Mutism in Children

Peter Muris; Thomas H Ollendick

doi:10.2147/PRBM.S274538

Current Challenges in the Diagnosis and Management of Selective Mutism in Children

Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2021 Feb 16:14:159-167. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S274538. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Peter Muris^{1

2}, Thomas H Ollendick^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
² Departement Sielkunde, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
³ Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton London, London, UK.

Abstract

Selective mutism (SM) is a childhood disorder characterized by a consistent failure to speak in specific social situations (eg, school) despite speaking normally in other settings (eg, at home). This article summarizes evidence supporting the recent classification of SM as an anxiety disorder and discusses the implications of this re-classification for the assessment and treatment of SM in clinical practice. Meanwhile, clinicians should also realize that SM sometimes is a heterogeneous disorder in which other problems are also present that complicate the management of children with SM. As examples, we discuss speech and language problems, developmental delay, and autism spectrum disorders.

Keywords: anxiety disorder; assessment; selective mutism; treatment.

Publication types

Review