Selective Mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in which affected people speak fluently in some situations but remain silent in others. It was once considered rare but is now known to affect more than 1/150 children. Statistics show that bi-lingual or migrant children are 3 times more likely to have SM.

SM affects people of all ages and can be lifelong. SM can also co-exist alongside other diagnoses such as ASD and Social Anxiety. Following from this Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital in London has recently announced that it is researching the setup of an SM-ASD Care Pathway for those diagnosed with both disorders.

SM is defined in ICD-10 (F94.0) but is better identified in DSM5 (APA, 2013). We expect an update to ICD in 2018.

Are you or someone in your family in Luxembourg and affected by SM?