Teenager with Selective Mutism Aspires to Stage Performance

A 15-year-old girl, who experiences difficulty speaking due to a medical condition, has expressed her desire to achieve her ambition of performing live on stage. Scarlett, a resident of Flintshire, lives with selective mutism, a significant anxiety disorder characterized by an inability to speak in specific contexts, which resulted in her absence from school for a period of two years. She, alongside Lucia, 17, from Swansea, highlighted that insufficient public knowledge and comprehension of the disorder might exacerbate its effects. Estimates from the NHS indicate that approximately one in 140 young individuals are impacted by this condition. The NHS clarifies that an individual, whether a child or an adult, experiencing selective mutism “does not refuse or choose not to speak at certain times, they’re literally unable to speak.” It further explains that “The expectation to talk to certain people triggers a freeze response with feelings of anxiety and panic, and talking is impossible.” Scarlett characterizes herself as “really chatty” and a devoted fan of musical theatre; however, she can experience intense anxiety when in the presence of other students at school. She stated, “I’m just constantly thinking ‘what is that person thinking about me?’ And then you’re like ‘I’m just not going to say anything’.” She added, “I think it’s your mind telling you ‘no, don’t say that’.” When she was 13 years old, she ceased attending school and remained out of education for nearly two years. “Not many people know about it, you can feel quite lonely and isolated most of the time,” she commented. Scarlett received a diagnosis of selective mutism when she was eight years old, though her parents, Steve and Emma, hold the belief that she began exhibiting symptoms as early as five. Emma remarked, “It’s been a really long time of struggles and appointments, referrals and just not being settled really, and not being very happy in that time either.” The parents recounted seeking assistance from various professionals, including psychologists and hypnotherapists, without achieving positive outcomes. Emma further stated, “I spoke to somebody once that they’ve been in the profession as a psychologist for 25 years, and they said I probably knew more than they did, so that was a bit of a worry.” While selective mutism can manifest at any point in life, it typically emerges during early childhood, specifically between the ages of two and four. The primary indicator of the condition is a noticeable difference in a child’s capacity to interact with various individuals, often presenting as an abrupt immobility or an unmoving facial expression when conversing with someone beyond their familiar environment. Specialists consider selective mutism to be a fear or phobia related to speaking with specific individuals; its exact origin is not consistently evident but is linked to anxiety. Successful resolution of selective mutism in a child is possible with early diagnosis and suitable management. Steve, Scarlett’s father, mentioned that coping with the absence of comprehension from others could be challenging. “She is very talkative, outgoing, very social, and she wants to do what every other boy and girl her age is doing: basically, going to the shops, going to the cinema,” he explained. He further stated, “The selective mutism, over the years, has stopped that.” For Lucia, who is from Swansea, selective mutism similarly presents an obstacle to attending school, pursuing higher education, or securing employment. She commented, “It’s really hard, because it feels like everyone else is moving on with their lives, and I’m just stuck doing nothing.” The 17-year-old mentioned that she formulates entire conversations mentally, yet her voice entirely vanishes. She added, “It is like I just stand with my mouth open, and all I really want to do is just cry, because I’d love to have normal conversations with people, but the words just will not come out.” She has undergone various therapeutic interventions; however, due to their restricted effectiveness, she expresses concern for her future. She further remarked, “It’s been really hard – because people don’t know about it, they don’t know how to help.” Anita McKiernan, a speech and language therapist specializing in the field, noted that public awareness and comprehension of the condition had been inadequate for many decades. She indicated that increased research and a greater number of specialist therapists have led to “significantly improved” circumstances over the last five years, though starting from a “low base.” Ms McKiernan, who serves as an adviser to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists on selective mutism, further stated that the condition, despite being perceived as uncommon, is in fact relatively prevalent, particularly among pre-school children. She asserted, “The entire early years in school workforce also need to be trained in how to identify and effectively manage selective mutism because they’re on the front line of picking it up, and the delays tend to occur because staff may be thinking that the child will grow out if it.” The Welsh government issued a statement: “Practitioners need to be upskilled to support children and young people with speech, language and communication needs and our Talk with Me delivery plan aims to achieve this.” “We are also developing resources aimed at parents and teaching staff to provide universal and targeted support for children with selective mutism,” they added. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.