Indicators of Situational Mutism

Information adapted from ASHA.org

Selective Mutism

Indicators at Home

• Able to speak to one or more immediate family members.

• Exhibit difficulty speaking to extended family members or close family friends.

• May not be able to speak to immediate family members when visitors are present.

• May refuse to leave home to avoid social communication demands (e.g., school, birthday parties).

• May have an emotional–behavioral response (e.g., tantrum, withdrawal) when the child has an awareness of social and expressive communication expectations.

Indicators at School and in Wider Community

• Exhibit physical manifestations of anxiety: Fight, flight, or freeze response; rigid or restricted body movement; or minimal to no facial expression or eye contact.

• May display emotional–behavioral responses (e.g., clinging to the parent, behavioral meltdowns, school refusal).

• May be perceived as withdrawn, inattentive, or aloof.

• May have difficulty with language processing in specific situations due to a heightened level of anxiety.

• Unable to speak with adults or children in social or educational settings.

• Unable to respond non verbally or verbally when spoken to; unable to initiate speech to provide information or comment.

• May use nonverbal methods of communication (e.g., body posture, eye gaze, facial expression, gesture) to respond to or initiate with people in settings where they are more comfortable and less anxious.

• Unable to initiate using any mode of communication to request help.

• Unable to speak at school, which impacts both educational performance and social development.

• Unable to speak to immediate family outside the home or when other people are present.

• Unable to speak with unfamiliar communication partners; may be able to use nonverbal modes of expression (e.g., eye gaze, head nod, pointing) over time as they become more comfortable in the social environment.

Bilingual Children

• Selective mutism is more common among children who speak a second language. 

• Being bilingual doesn’t cause SM, but for children who already have an anxious temperament, being expected to use a language they are less comfortable with can put them at additional risk.

• Some bilingual kids may only be silent when they are expected to speak in their second language.

• For other children, their fear of speaking can be generalized, so that they won’t speak even in their native language.

• Diagnosing children who use a second language should be done carefully. 

• Children should not be diagnosed with SM if their failure to speak can be explained by difficulty understanding or using a second language. 

• Bilingual children commonly experience a “silent period” while they are acquiring their new language, so clinicians should be careful not to mistake this stage of learning for SM. 

• Bilingual children also typically begin developing language slower.

If you have concerns about your student potentially having selective / situational mutism, you can use the checklist below as an initial assessment of need. Click on the top right corner to download a PDF copy.