selective mutism
Context-dependent speechlessness
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder in which a person—typically a child—consistently fails to speak in specific social situations despite speaking normally in others.
A child might talk freely at home but remain completely silent at school.
The condition isn't willful refusal or shyness but a genuine inability to produce speech when anxiety overwhelms: Her selective mutism meant she couldn't answer even when she knew the answer.
Place of instruction
- classroomEducational instruction space
- teacherOne who instructs others
- peersThose of equal status
- playgroundChildren's outdoor recreation space
kindergarten · preschool · elementary school · separation anxiety · developmental stage · early intervention · IEP · 504 plan
Total lack of sound
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
- shutdownCessation of operations
- blockSolid mass, or impede
- stuckUnable to move
voiceless · wordless · invisible · misunderstood · isolation · loneliness · frustration · inner voice
Not using speech
- gesturesExpressive body movements
- writingRecorded language on surface
- drawingMarks forming a picture
- pointingDirecting attention somewhere
nodding · eye contact · whisper · body language · text-to-speech · facial expressions · blank stare · voice
Fear of being judged
- fearEmotional response to threat
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- worryTroubled mental state
tension · stress · panic · dread · unease · trepidation · distress · overwhelming
Identification of illness
- treatmentCare for an ailment
- therapyCurative mental treatment
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
DSM-5 · psychiatrist · psychologist · behavioral therapy · cognitive behavioral therapy · exposure therapy · desensitization · medication
school
Place of instruction
playground · kindergarten · preschool · elementary school · separation anxiety · developmental stage · early intervention · IEP · 504 plan · school refusal
silence
Total lack of sound
stuck · voiceless · wordless · invisible · misunderstood · isolation · loneliness · frustration · inner voice · trapped
nonverbal
Not using speech
pointing · nodding · eye contact · whisper · body language · text-to-speech · facial expressions · blank stare · voice · verbalization
social anxiety
Fear of being judged
- fearEmotional response to threat
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
worry · tension · stress · panic · dread · unease · trepidation · distress · overwhelming · freeze response
diagnosis
Identification of illness
- treatmentCare for an ailment
- therapyCurative mental treatment
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
intervention · DSM-5 · psychiatrist · psychologist · behavioral therapy · cognitive behavioral therapy · exposure therapy · desensitization · medication · SSRI
- silencequiet, silent, mute, hush, stillness
- child psychologychild therapy, play therapy, pediatric therapy, developmental milestones, developmental delays
- disordersADHD, disorder, anxiety, dysfunction, autism
- Mental Disordersschizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, PTSD
- social fearssocial anxiety, social phobia, fear of judgment, fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment
- Child Psychiatrychild psychiatrist, child psychiatry, child psychologist, child psychology, child mental health
selective mutismlogorrhea
Compulsive excessive wordiness
verbal diarrhea · pressured speech · loquaciousness · talkativeness · verbosity
selective mutismnervous chatter
select, selection, selective, selections, selectivity, unselected, selectively, deselect, selector