Adult and Child Selective Mutism: Essential Information to Understand
In a world where communication is key to success, it's essential to remember that not everyone finds speaking effortless. For those with selective mutism, a condition that causes difficulty speaking in certain situations, creating a supportive work environment can make all the difference.
Avoiding repeated encouragement to "talk" or "speak" is crucial when helping someone with selective mutism. Such pressure can increase stress and fear, making the situation more challenging. Instead, accommodations should focus on reducing pressure to speak, providing alternative communication methods, and fostering a supportive environment that lowers anxiety around verbal interactions.
Common accommodations for adults with selective mutism in the workplace include allowing communication through written, email, or digital means instead of requiring verbal responses. Employers can also provide a safe, quiet space or a trusted coworker/manager for support or when verbal communication may be needed. It's important to avoid forcing or pressuring the individual to speak, which increases anxiety.
Implementing structured, gradual exposure to speaking tasks can help build confidence. Offering flexibility with deadlines and workload can help manage anxiety and stress. Raising awareness and educating coworkers and supervisors about selective mutism can foster understanding.
Adults with selective mutism may also benefit from workplace practices often used for anxiety disorders more broadly, such as managing time effectively, planning and preparing for tasks, and finding supportive colleagues to reduce anticipatory anxiety.
These accommodations align with the approach used in educational settings, emphasizing reducing performance pressure, providing safe spaces, and positive reinforcement to encourage communication without pressure. As selective mutism is recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), adults with this condition are entitled to reasonable accommodations if qualified for the job.
In the home environment, interviews with family members can help specialists understand when the symptoms began, how the child currently communicates, the home environment, and family medical history. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) states that to meet the criteria for selective mutism, a person must have consistent difficulty speaking in situations where talking is expected, symptoms that last for at least 1 month, and symptoms that interfere with school, work, or socializing.
Selective mutism has no single cause, but many factors can contribute to someone developing it, including significant transitions, home environment, genetics, other anxiety disorders, and bilingualism. The condition often occurs with symptoms of social anxiety, including extreme shyness, avoiding conversation, a lack of eye contact, freezing when put on the spot, anxiety about eating in public, using restrooms, or being in photos.
An SLP will tailor any therapy to the person's symptoms, age, and other needs. Examples of treatments for selective mutism include augmentative and alternative communication (AAL), exposure-based therapies, and the ritual sound approach (RSA). Medication may help reduce symptoms of anxiety or depression in teenagers and adults, but it should never be a replacement for behavioral therapies.
People with selective mutism also require support for their emotional health, and psychotherapy can help them manage their fear about speaking and coexisting mental health conditions. Selective mutism appears to occur more often in females than in males, although the reasons for this are not clear.
People can help create a supportive environment for children with selective mutism by using positive reinforcement, being patient, making environmental adjustments, engaging in shared activities, offering alternative communication methods, educating others, and avoiding special education placements. Most studies suggest that selective mutism affects less than 1% of children.
The Selective Mutism Foundation suggests that it is often not beneficial to place children with this condition into special education. The average age of onset for selective mutism is 5 years, although it may be because this is the age at which many children begin going to school.
The speech and language evaluation can screen for other conditions that might cause difficulty with speech, such as a speech delay or hearing impairment. Treatment for selective mutism aims to reduce anxiety in social settings, help the person practice speaking, and reinforce nonavoidant behavior. A comprehensive assessment for diagnosing selective mutism may involve a speech and language evaluation, interviews with parents, caregivers, or teachers, and collaboration with a variety of specialists.
In the UK, the advocacy group iSpeak provides a list of accommodations that workplaces can make for people with selective mutism. It's crucial to remember that every individual is unique, and accommodations should be tailored to meet their specific needs. By creating a safe, supportive environment, we can help those with selective mutism to thrive in the workplace.
- In the realm of personal-growth and education-and-self-development, understanding and accommodating individuals with selective mutism can lead to increased mental-health and health-and-wellness.
- Embracing alternative communication methods, such as written or digital communication, can effectively block the pressure to speak while fostering a supportive environment for those with selective mutism in the science field.
- Implementing workplace education and awareness about selective mutism, a condition that blocks verbal communication in certain situations, can pave the way for a more supportive and inclusive work culture, benefiting both the individual and the team as a whole.
