Selective Mutism

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hildren and speak to them exclusively. (Stein et al., 2001) Studies are still being conducted to figure out the minimum amount of time that a child has to be silent before he/she is diagnosed with selective mutism. For instance a study by Brown and Lloyd, in 1975, came out with statistics regarding the number of mute children in school during their first year. (Baldwin, 1994) The study included 6,072 children that are entering school for the first time. Surveying teacher led to the statistic of 42 mute children after an eight week period, after 32 weeks 4 children and after 64 weeks only one child remained in silence. (Baldwin, 1994)
Selective Mutism is an acquired disorder that is rarely seen by healthcare professionals. When the disorder is at its worst, a correlation could be made with poor adjustment to social situations and with the risk of social handicap. (8) In general it affects 0.1% of the population. (Stein et al., 2001) Tancer (1992), reported two studies that found prevalence rates in the normal population of 0.66 to 0.8 per 1,000 after age 5, and 7.2 per 1,000 at age 5. (Hultquist, 1995) According to Dr. Isabelle Rapin, the average age of onset time is four years, with a range of one to seven years. (Stein et al., 2001) According to a study, conducted by Tamer (1992), selective mutism is most prevalent in kindergarten and first grade. (Elizur & Perednik, 2003) This disorder has rarely been observed in adults. (Cleator & Hand, 2002) An American study conducted recently, by Bergman et al., in 2002, of children ranging from kindergarten to second grade revealed a prevalence rate of 0.69%. (Elizur & Perednik, 2003) This statistic was very similar to the 0.71% found in a Brown and Lloyd study, in 1975, of children living in the United Kingdom and attending a primary school. (Elizur et al., 2003)These prevalence rates, however, differ dramatically on a global level. (Elizur et al., 2003)
The etiology of selective mutism h...