Family Seeks Others With Selective Mutism Disorder
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
JONESTOWN (Lebanon Co.)
_ “We thought she was just
extremely shy and clingy,” said
Cindy Eshleman while talking
about her daughter’s preschool
days. “It wasn’t until she went to
school and was tested by psycholo
gists that she was diagnosed as
having selective mutism.”
Children diagnosed with this
disorder speak normally with a few
individuals such as immediate
family but not with other people.
The daughter of Cindy and her
husband Dave, who is now eight,
speaks freely with them but never
to other adults, although she is in
the third grade at a public school.
The Esheltnans prefer that their
daughter’s name not be used in
publication, but they want then
story to be told so that they may be
able to find other parents with
children who suffer from selective
mutism.
The Eshelmans’ petite blond,
blue-eyed daughter with a pretty
smile seemed to develop normally
in every area. Little discipline was
needed because as a sensitive
child, she obeyed a simple, “No,”
horn her parents. At home, she
talked easily with her parents and
an older brother. But whenever
adults were present she refused to
talk with either them or with her
parents in the presence of other
adults.
The Eshelmans were not con
cerned. They thought “Alisha”
(not her teal name) was painfully
shy and would outgrow it Cindy
was a stay-at-home mom during
Alisha’s preschool yean, so there
was little need for Alisha to need to
interact with other adults.
When Alisha was five yean old,
Cindy took her to preschool
registration. Alisha cried the
whole time and refused to partici
pate. Thinking that Alisha would
adjust, Cindy dropped her off at
classes each day. Eventually Alis
ha stopped crying and seemed to
enjoy the class. Cindy was sur
prised when, after a few months,
the teacher remarked that she had
never heard Alisha say even one
word. The school requested that
Alisha be tested by a psychologist.
At first, Alisha was misdiag
nosed as having selective autism.
But the striking difference
between the two disorders is that
autistic individuals have limited
language ability while those with
'selective mutism are capable of
speaking and do so in select situa
tions.
Diagnosis is hindered because it
is difficult to assess a child’s skills
if he or she does not respond. If
Alisha suspected that an adult was
in another room listening, she
refused to talk with her mdther.
The Esheltnans used a tape recor
der at home in order to prove to
school teachers and therapists that
Alisha could indeed talk.
Although selective mutism was
first recognized by a physcian in
1877, little research has been done
until recently. While research
shows about one percent of selec
tive mutism is found in child gui
dance, clinical, and school social
casework, it is suspected that it is
far mote prevalent due to unrc
ported, undiagnosed, and misdiag
nosed cases.
Eventually Alisha was diag
nosed with selective mutism. She
is now eight years old and in the
third grade, yet she has never
talked to a teacher or any other
adult in a school setting. She does
her school work and follows the
teacher’s instruction as long as she
does not need to talk.
When die was in second grade,
Alisha started talking with class
mates if adults were not present
Generally teachers assess a child’s
reading ability by listening to the
child read. This is not possible
with a child who has selective mut
ism. However, the school has been
resourceful and has found that
Alisha will real aloud to another
student if the teacher is not nearby.
An older student assists in listen
ing to Alisha read. If Alisha
doesn’t understand a problem, she
waves her hand and the teacher
Cindy EslMlnrum and son discuss selective mutism and how the disorder affects
“Alisha”
allows her to go aside and ask
another student for help.
While some people believe that
children with this disorder are
being stubborn by refusing to
speak to adults, research has
shown that die disorder is related
to severe anxiety in speaking and
not because they are controlling,
manipulative, oppositional, or
angry.
Before research, it was specu
lated that selective mutism was the
result of abuse, but according to
the Selective Mutism Foundation,
Inc. in Sissonville, W.Va., this
theory is wrong. Children with this
disorder often show no eye con
tact, no facial expression, or with
draw when approached in their
attempt to control rising anxiety,
and not because they have been
abused.
By the time the child has been
UwcMter Farming, Saturday, August 17, 1996411
diagnosed, the child has usually
established a patterqpf not talking
to adults for several years. This
behavior becomes increasingly
difficult to change because the
child has found a way to cope with
anxiety.
The Eshelmans say that the only
reason they can elicit from then
daughter about her refusal to talk
with adults is that it is too
embarrassing.
Alisha sees a therapist, who uses
play therapy during the sessions.
The therapist is attempting to build
trust by using puppets, toys, and
games. Alisha complains to her
parents that she does not like the
sessions, but the school insists that
she continue the sessions.
A therapist who had previously
worked with Alisha encouraged
punishment and bribery to be used
in treatment, but Cindy said that
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only made the situation worse. The
therapist believes that Alisha’s
drawings revealed a child who is
severely depressed, but her parents
disagree. They see her as a happy,
contented child who simply
becomes overly anxious when
pushed to speak.
Research published by the
Selective Mutism Foundation sup
ports the Eshlemans’ assessment
Findings show that pressure,
including punishment bribery, or
unrealistic consequences are often
harmful rather than beneficial. The
Foundation encourages behavioral
management programs based on
the treatment of phobias.
Cindy has also received infor
mation from the Norfolk Mental
Health Association in Norwood,
Mass., which researches the disor
der. The Association findings on
selective mutism states that psy
chotherapy, play therapy, and psy-
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