What are signs of selective mutism in children?
The most visible manifestation of selective mutism in children is the failure or inability to speak on certain occasions despite the ability to do so in others. For example, a child with a selective mutism could speak openly with a sibling, but if it is expected to talk to the teacher. Other signs of communication disorder include shyness, social withdrawal and unpleasant motor skills. Patients may also show increased sensitivity to noise, anxiety problems and lack of emotional expressiveness. Selective mutism in children can also have positive signs; Studies show that children with disorder tend to score higher intelligence and emotional intelligence scores. For very young children, this is expressed at school; Specifically, when the child is invited to recite in the classroom. Other common situations that cause children to silence, include performances before the crowds and when they talk to them about authorities. Despite the silence of the child in these situations, it seems that he has no problem in others. Therefore, it is possible to as signs of communionIcaling disorders to consider typical symptoms of social anxiety, such as avoidance with social situations. Symptoms associated with anxiety include the abnormal level of Koja and the fear of public embarrassment.
other psychologists claim that things are the other way around; They believe that selective mutism in children is a symptom, while social anxiety is a basic problem. Studies revealed that selective mutism is accompanied by other problems related to anxiety, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and social phobia. Due to the overlapping nature of these disorders, a sign from one issue can be considered a sign of the other. For example, the tendency to avoid crowds is considered to be a valid sign of social phobia or selective mutism in children.
Scientists have found that despite difficulty in communication, there could be positive sides of selective mutism in children, intellectually and emotionally. Children with selective reciprocityThey tend to be a more curious and receptive world around them, making them exceptional students. These children are also likely to be more introspective than others and show above -average ability to identify their own feelings and feelings of others. However, experts emphasize that these relationships are correlation, not causal - it has not been shown that selective mutism makes children smarter, intellectually or emotionally.