Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder in which a person who is capable of speech becomes unable to speak in certain social situations, despite speaking normally in others.
It is most commonly identified in children, typically when they start school, but it also affects teenagers and adults, often going unrecognised for many years.

The condition is not stubbornness, shyness or a deliberate choice. People with Selective Mutism desperately want to speak but the anxiety is so overwhelming in certain situations that speech becomes physically impossible. The child or adult is not refusing to talk. They are frozen by anxiety.

Selective Mutism most commonly occurs in social or performance settings such as school, work, public places or around people outside the immediate family. At home, or with trusted individuals, the person may be talkative and entirely at ease. This contrast is one of the defining features of the condition and is frequently misunderstood by those around them.

Without appropriate treatment, Selective Mutism can persist into adulthood, significantly limiting education, career, relationships and quality of life. Early, effective intervention makes a significant difference to outcomes.