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Video #5 - Selective Mutism or Is My Child Just Shy? 

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Video #5 - Selective Mutism or Is My Child Just Shy? 

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SUMMARY: Dr. Lindsey Bergman, child psychologist and director of the UCLA Child OCD Intensive Treatment Program, discusses the difference between a shy child and a child with selective mutism. Shyness is a temperamental trait - children will "warm up" over time. A child with selective mutism will still not talk to someone after meeting them and knowing them for six months, for example. To tell the difference between selective mutism and shyness, you need to know the child well.

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Selective Mutism or is my child just shy?  |  R. Lindsey Bergman, PhD

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Video #1 - How to Help a Child with Selective Mutism

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Video #1 - How to Help a Child with Selective Mutism

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*This is a summary of 15:12 minutes of the 39-minute video.**

SUMMARY: Speech and language therapist, Anna Biavati-Smith, speaks with Natasha Daniels, child anxiety and OCD therapist. Biavati-Smith starts off by describing what selective mutism is, which she defines as children who want to communicate, but feel like they physically can't because they are anxious in social situations. Both women start talking about how many parents don't notice signs of selective mutism and "diagnose" their children as shy and that "they will grow out if it." However, Biavati-Smith talks about how children who are shy will grow out of their shyness: they start participating and communicating to an extent. The opposite occurs with children who have selective mutism: they are frozen and can't speak the majority of the time. According to Biavati-Smith, selective mutism is a spectrum, but it is most common that children are non-responsive in social situations. Biavati-Smith goes into talking about her own experience with a child diagnosed with selective mutism and discusses the difference between home-behavior and outside-behavior. She also talks about how selective mutism is not very well known, but it is gaining attention. There is more research and more centers opening, which allows for more professional help with selective mutism, both in the United States and in other countries.

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How to Help a Child with Selective Mutism

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Video #4 - Selective Mutism Strategies for Parents

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Video #4 - Selective Mutism Strategies for Parents

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SUMMARY: Parents discuss what selective mutism is and provide strategies for parents of children with selective mutism. They define selective mutism as children who have the ability to speak and do speak openly, but certain situations make them feel as though they can't speak. It is more of an anxiety-based disorder. Next, the two parents talking provide "do's and don'ts" for parents. Firstly, do allow some warm-up time with students, allow them to get used to the idea of speaking in social situation. Don't force or insist on speech on children. Do monitor the child's anxiety. There are signs that indicates that a child's anxiety has gone up. Don't make a huge deal out of if the child does speak. Students don't want that attention drawn to them. Do be patient - let children take the time to speak. If you help them or continue to ask them questions, it reinforces the anxiety. Therefore, it's beneficial to allow the time for hesitation.

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Video #3 - What is Selective Mutism? Basics, Misconceptions, and Treatment Information

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Video #3 - What is Selective Mutism? Basics, Misconceptions, and Treatment Information

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SUMMARY: Rachel Busman, PsyD, starts off the video by defining what selective mutism is. It is an anxiety disorder that renders children speechless in social situations. A child who has selective mutism is not refusing to speak, but feel like they physically can't speak. Busman says about 1 in 140 children from ages 3 to 8 have selective mutism. While it is less frequent than other disorders, but it is more debilitating by hurting their social skills early. Busman also discusses treatment options for children, saying that a child with selective mutism needs robust behavioral treatment to further enhance their verbal skills.

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What is Selective Mutism? Basics, Misconceptions, and Treatment Information

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Video #2 - Understanding Selective Mutism

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Video #2 - Understanding Selective Mutism

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SUMMARY: Candice Powell-Caldwell discusses her child's battle with selective mutism. Her daughter, Reagan, was always loud and playful at home and with her friends. However, in social situations with a teacher or a classmate, she was unresponsive. Doctors told her that Reagan would grow out of her shyness later on in life. A teacher went up to her and told her that if her daughter didn't start talking within 6 months, then she would have to leave the school. She later learned that Reagan's "problem" was selective mutism. Reagan had to undergo a combination of weekly therapy and medication. Once she fully understood what selective mutism is and how to help her daughter, Powell-Caldwell became a strong advocate of SM and got her daughter the help she required.

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Understanding Selective Mutism | Candice Powell-Caldwell | TEDxNewarkAcademy

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Video # 10 - How Shy is Too Shy? Identifying Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety

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Video # 10 - How Shy is Too Shy? Identifying Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety

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SUMMARY: Dr, Raquel Cumba discusses how selective mutism is different than shyness in children. Children who are shy are able to warm up to others. Children with selective mutism want to speak, but physically can't. They are too nervous and anxious to ask basic questions such as going to the bathroom or going to the nurse. They are not likely to be interacting with other students, verbally or in other ways. Early intervention and treatment can prevent the long-term social effects of selective mutism.

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How Shy Is Too Shy? Identifying Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety

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Video #8 - What Causes Selective Mutism?

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Video #8 - What Causes Selective Mutism?

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SUMMARY: Lucy Nathanson, child psychologist, discusses what causes selective mutism in children. There was a common misconception that children endured a traumatic experience that caused their selective mutism, but that is not the case. Those who did experience a traumatic event show different symptoms than a child who didn't. It is shown that children with selective mutism were born with a predisposition for the condition. It may or may not lead to selective mutism, but it does lead to the condition when there is a trigger situation that causes the disorder. For example, a trigger could be going to school for the first time without their parents or someone laughing at them/making fun of them. Additionally, when other students label the child as "not-talking," they start to live up to that label.

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What causes Selective Mutism? Video by Lucy Nathanson

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Video #7 - How to Help a Child With Selective Mutism

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Video #7 - How to Help a Child With Selective Mutism

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SUMMARY: Selective mutism is typically seen in children who can speak and have the skills to speak, but they choose not to in certain situations. There are three components that add to this diagnosis: an anxiety disorder (develops like a phobia - children have an experience that triggers a fear in social interaction and avoid it long-term, which increases their fear), a relationship dynamic (many children learn their speaking skills through adults - children with selective mutism see that adults will save/help the child, which increases their fear), and habit (these children "get good" at not speaking and realize that it's working for them). However, we are able to add an intervention component to each of the previous component. We can intervene and create opportunities for them to practice overcoming that fear of speaking.

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How To Help A Child With Selective Mutism

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Video #9 - Selective Mutism: Tips for Parents

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Video #9 - Selective Mutism: Tips for Parents

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SUMMARY: Dr. Lindsey Bergman, child psychologist, discusses helpful tips for parents with a child with selective mutism. Don't speak for your child - it will save them and encourage their non-speaking habits. Don't promote the possibility that they will speak. Set up situations where the child will be more comfortable speaking. Try engaging a family member in a comfortable setting to build confidence in communication skills.

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Selective Mutism: Tips for Parents  |  R. Lindsey Bergman, PhD - UCLA Cares Center

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Video #6 - Understanding and Managing Selective Mutism

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Video #6 - Understanding and Managing Selective Mutism

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SUMMARY: The video is about parents discussing their story with their child who was diagnosed with selective mutism. Lee, the child, is described as a happy and fun child at home, but when put in certain social situations, he was silent and couldn't interact. The parents discuss how it was hard to watch their child be judged by other people. Lee was stuck in an endless cycle - people would ask him a question, he wouldn't respond, people would continue asking questions, completely stop talking to him, or ask those questions to his parents instead. It was increasing his anxiety and not helping his situation. His parents discuss how they help Lee practice and warm up to social situations by allowing him to take part in activities and taking part in small interactions. They also encourage him with easy questions. Next, they introduced new people to the warm-up activities. Using these techniques of introducing new people, doing warm-up activities, and asking questions helps break their cycle of not talking and increase their verbal skills.

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Understanding and Managing Selective Mutism

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I chose the topic of selective mutism because I was curious to find out how some children develop this disorder. At first, I incorrectly assumed that these children were normally shy and grew out of their shy nature. However, I discovered that it isn't something children grow out of - these children with selective mutism physically feel like they can't communicate, verbally or in any other way, and need to go through intense therapy to learn to speak to unfamiliar people. I also learned about some tips that teachers and parents can use to assist children through the process of learning to communicate and to help them feel more at ease in uncomfortable situations. I think it's really interesting how parents are able to help these children. In multiple videos, I've seen therapists and psychologists put children in low-pressure situations that give them the choice of talking (for example, ordering ice cream) or not talking. For example, one therapist told the child's parent to take him to the ice cream store: he could get whatever he wanted and Mom had to buy it for him, but he had to be the one to order it. If he didn't order anything, that was okay. I thought it was a really interesting exercise that ended up working and helped the child become more comfortable speaking in those situations. Overall, I think that selective mutism is a really fascinating anxiety disorder to study and I am glad that I ended up picking it to research.