Selective mutism is a rare childhood anxiety disorder in which a child experiences a trigger response and is unable to speak in certain situations or to certain people. It is not a form of shyness, ...

Selective mutism is a condition in which a person can speak in some situations but not in others. For example, a child with selective mutism may speak at home but not at preschool or around strangers.

Mother Joanna Stephenson (middle) has started a petition calling for more support for children with selective mutism, signed by hundreds of parents Parents say they are "angry" and "frustrated" that ...

Selective mutism is a common anxiety condition whereby kids who are normally chatty at home clam up around outsiders or at school. By Shoshana Kordova When my youngest daughter was 3, her preschool ...

Belle* is six years old. Like many children, she is a playful and often boisterous child at home with her family. Unlike many children, she has an anxiety disorder which renders her speechless and ...

Parents fear children stuck at home for almost a year during the coronavirus pandemic, will lose critical social skills. And children with selective mutism, a severe form of anxiety, will lose even ...

A local filmmaker produced a documentary about selective mutism, which has a higher prevalence among girls and children from bilingual households. As a journalist, I constantly speak to people.

After struggling with selective mutism throughout her childhood, Erin Silvia shares how she overcame the anxiety disorder Courtesy of Erin Silvia As a child, Erin Silvia struggled to speak to anyone ...

With the clock ticking, Chelsea Jenkins tells PEOPLE that “early intervention matters more than most people realize,” especially with selective mutism Courtesy of Chelsea Jenkins After her daughter, ...

Selective mutism is a rare childhood anxiety disorder in which a child experiences a trigger response and is unable to speak in certain situations or to certain people. It is not a form of shyness, ...

Chelsea Jenkins and her family. When Chelsea Jenkins' 4-year-old daughter, Ava, was diagnosed with selective mutism in January 2026, the 33-year-old mother of four immediately began searching for ...