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Mutism
(redirected from Selective mutism)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
mutism [′myü‚tiz·əm]
(medicine)
Inability or refusal to speak.

Mutism 

the inability or refusal to speak that takes place in the absence of any organic lesions of the vocal apparatus. Occurring mainly in shy, timid, physically weak children, mutism results from a reaction to a traumatic mental stimulus such as fright, insult, conflict, or excessive demand. Mutism is also found in patients suffering from schizophrenia and hysteria. Hysterical mutism is usually complete, that is, the patient does not utter a single word; he does not maintain oral contact but communicates by writing. The ability to speak disappears suddenly and returns just as unexpectedly. Voluntary mutism is common in children: the child does not answer questions in school but talks normally at home and in the street. Sometimes he does not answer the questions of one teacher but does respond normally to others.

Mutism is temporary but varies in duration. It sometimes continues for years, in which case it causes mental retardation. Treatment involves the elimination of factors that traumatize the nervous system; treatment of the disease that caused the mutism; use of general restorative measures; and psychotherapy. Preventive measures include strengthening of the child’s nervous system and a proper upbringing that encourages independence, activity, and sociability.

Surdimutism—the functional impairment of hearing and speech—is a special form of the condition. Unlike deaf mutism, which is caused by the permanent organic impairment of hearing, surdimutism is temporary. It is generally observed in wartime as one of the symptoms of contusion. Speech and hearing in surdimutism are usually quickly restored by disinhibition therapy. Sometimes surdimutism can be corrected without any special treatment. In a few cases the disease becomes protracted and requires the coordinated attention of neurologists, otorhinolaryngologists, speech therapists, and specialists in the teaching of deaf-mutes.

L. V. NEIMAN



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Topics addressed include linguistic influence on the developmental neural basis of "theory of mind," the deferential effects of context and isolated word training on reading fluency, the electrophysiological correlates of developmental dyslexia, content and language integrated learning, selective mutism, and the early communicative channel in childhood.
Edward, who has selective mutism, started to whisper in their ears and has since made huge improvements.
Byline: ANI London, Sept 8 (ANI): Donkeys have helped a five-year-old boy suffering from selective mutism - a severe childhood anxiety disorder in which a person who is normally capable of speech is unable to speak in given situations -to "find his voice".
 
 
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