Selective Mutism
Selective Mutism is a complex childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s inability to speak and communicate effectively in select social settings, such as school. These children are able to speak and communicate in settings where they are comfortable, secure, and relaxed.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: PW200
Diagnosis: Selective Mutism
US Patients:
World Patients: .71 of 1% in 2002
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset: early childhood
Brain Area: amygdalas may become over-excited and this is a fight-flight response;
Symptoms: anxiety where people cannot speak in specific situations or places or to specific persons along with a social anxiety disorder.
Progression: Gets worse with age, contributing to depression, further anxiety and other social and emotional problems
Causes: some have experienced trauma; others, not
Medications: An SSRI, fluoxetine, has helped some children.
Therapies: Only change schools if the new one will be more supportive. Different techniques are described in the Wikipedia article.
Youtube Video: Evidence-Based Treatment for Selective Mutism
Amazon or Library Book:
The Selective Mutism Treatment Guide
Amazon or Library Book:
Raising Voices
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- Cerebellar Mutism Syndrome in a Patient With Hypertensive Urgency and Ischemia: A Case Reportby Shounak Ghosh on January 9, 2025
Cerebellar mutism syndrome (also known as posterior fossa syndrome) has been mostly seen in pediatric patients after surgery for neoplastic disease and is characterized by mutism, with variable symptoms such as emotional lability, ataxia, apraxia, and hypotonia. While the mechanism is not precisely defined, it is thought to result from disconnections between the cortical and cerebellar brain networks. Presentation in adult patients is rare, with various etiologies including posterior fossa...
- A Rare Case of Posterior Fossa Syndrome Associated with Neuropathic Pain Successfully Treated with a Combination of Gabapentin, Diazepam and Baclofen-A Case Report and Literature Reviewby Mariateresa Giglio on January 8, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the potential effectiveness of a multimodal pharmacological regimen for treating neuropathic pain and associated symptoms in pediatric patients with PFS. Further research is needed to explore optimal treatment strategies for this rare but challenging complication.
- Neuroimaging of postoperative pediatric cerebellar mutism syndrome: a systematic reviewby Iris V Obdeijn on January 8, 2025
CONCLUSION: Neuroimaging features suggest that ppCMS is associated with efferent cerebellar pathway injury and hypoperfusion in frontal lobes, with level 2 a/b evidence. Large-scale prospective longitudinal neuroimaging studies comparing pre- and postoperative imaging are needed to further elucidate the pathophysiological mechanism of ppCMS.
- Connectome imaging to facilitate preservation of the frontal aslant tractby Harshal A Shah on January 8, 2025
Supplementary motor area (SMA) syndrome is characterized by contralateral akinesia and mutism, and frequently occurs following resection of tumors involving the superior frontal gyrus. The frontal aslant tract (FAT), involved in functional connectivity of the supplementary area and other related large-scale brain networks, is implicated in the pathogenesis of, and recovery from, SMA syndrome. However, intraoperative neuromonitoring of the FAT is inconsistent and poorly reproducible, leading to a...