Mutism is diagnosed when a child is silent or speech is severely restricted. A frequent cause of such a state of affairs is a stressful situation, e.g. going to kindergarten or a new school. What else are the causes of mutism? How to recognize its symptoms? What is the treatment of this ailment?
Mutismisspeech disorder , the essence of which is the lack or limitation of speech in a child or adult, while understanding it. To diagnose mutism, its duration should be at least 1 month. Mutism most often affects children, as its symptoms usually appear between 3 and 5 years of age. In this age range, it affects girls more often than boys.
Mutism - causes
Whenthe child does not say , you may suspect defects in the anatomy of the speech apparatus - larynx, palate, mouth, tongue, jaws. Damage to the nerve centers in the brain that control speech can also be the cause of this disorder. In such situations, the diagnosis isorganic mutism .
However, much more often the limitation of speech or the lack of it is psychological - it isfunctional mutism.Then the reasons for it include:
- parenting mistakes (e.g. excessive bans);
- family pathologies (alcoholism, domestic violence - mental and physical abuse of a child), which cause painful experiences, trauma;
- new situations that may cause stress (e.g. going to kindergarten, school);
- raising a child in a bilingual family. Then the mutism may result from the lack of knowledge of the language or discomfort related to the use of a given language;
Other possible causes of mutism include communication disorders (e.g. stuttering) or pervasive developmental disorders (e.g. autism).
In adults, mutismcan be the result of brain damage as a result of an accident, stroke, etc. It can also be a consequence of emotional experiences or a symptom of mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia).
Mutism - symptoms
There are 3 types of mutism:
- total mutism
The child does not speak at all, but can whisper, make inarticulate sounds, and even scream. Maybealso answer questions by nodding your head or making other gestures to communicate. The accompanying symptoms may be difficulty swallowing, anorexia.
- situational mutism
It is diagnosed in children who speak normally, and the lack or limitation of speech occurs in them only in certain situations - usually stressful, difficult (often it is going to kindergarten or school). Then the child communicates with the environment using gestures or facial expressions. He can also provide written answers to questions. This type of mutism wears off as the situation changes that provoked it. For example - when a stay in kindergarten or school ceases to be a new, stressful situation for a child, he starts talking normally.
- selective (selective) mutism
The child chooses the people with whom it normally talks, and does not speak to the others at all. He may also avoid eye contact, stand still, showing no emotion when trying to make verbal contact with him, or vice versa - he may burst into tears, run away or act aggressively, such as kicking.
People your child normally talks to are usually family members. On the other hand, those with whom he avoids verbal communication are usually foreign adults. Psychologists also often encounter a situation in which a child talks to relatives at home and is silent in kindergarten or school.
Mutism - diagnostics
In order to diagnose mutism, you should visit a speech therapist and a psychologist / psychiatrist who will make the final diagnosis.
Mutism - treatment
Treatment of mutism should be started as soon as possible before it becomes permanent. It involves meetings with a psychotherapist. He uses behavioral therapy that aims to both absorb new behaviors and remove fixed ones that are unfavorable, and / or psychodynamic therapy (the therapist tries to get to the problems that lie in the patient's unconscious).
It is also important to preserve the environment in relation to the child. For example, kindergarten and school staff should help the child establish relationships with other children and send kind comments to the child to make them feel more confident. You can also gradually encourage your child to speak through play (e.g. on a deaf telephone). Breathing games, such as blowing soap bubbles, can also be helpful.