/Selective Mutism
hello ! im Ray or Kao , and ive been diagnosed as a Select Mute since a very young age ! ive seen a lot of misunderstanding on Rentry regarding selective mutism , and id like to clear it up on this page ! this page should be used as a resource to those wanting to get diagnosed and or those who are learning about the disorder !


heres a bit more about me : MainSecondary⠀Direct 1 , 2URLs ( AoD only )⠀EXT 1 , 2StrawAsk
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Selective Mutism is often referred to as an anxiety disorder , but the truth is that its so understudied — no one knows all of its real causes ! anxiety is the assumed cause ( and typically main cause , though it is believed there are multiple things that factor into Selective Mutism ) of Selective Mutism ! it usually occurs in children and in stressing social situations , such as when a stranger approaches you . its symptoms mostly include being fully unable to speak whenever the Selective Mutism is triggered ! the triggers , while again can mostly happen in social situations , can happen with anyone or in any situation in which a child may feel anxious ! though usually this has a pattern , such as a child speaking at home but never at school ! this disorder can go deep , but there is no need to further push it C: ( though dont take this short explanation as dismissal , this disorder is serious and impacts many lives ! )

a common misconception i often see , especially mentioned on this site ( not to call anyone out as im sure this is purely by mistake ! ) is the pairing of Autism and Selective Mutism !


Autistic people often go non verbal or semi verbal for their own reasons ! such as sensory overload or general differences in social communications ! Autistic people dont often have a pattern to their mutism , whereas Select Mute people do ! people with Selective Mutism are non struggling people just like any other neurotypical person would be , very different to the struggles Autistic people go through which cause them to go non or semi verbal ! Select Mutes strictly ( as of today , which is sadly understudied but still counts ) only go mute in anxiety inducing situations , and they tend to have a very strict pattern , so thats a great difference between the two !
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although , the main reason why Autistic people cant be Select Mutes is because Selective Mutism needs a professional diagnosis ! Selective Mutism does NOT get diagnosed if you are diagnosed with another disorder that may explain your symptoms ! since Autism explains ( some ) Autistic peoples tendencies to go non verbal or semi verbal , Selective Mutism will not be diagnosed !

MY OWN EXPERIENCES⠀:⠀i recently had discourse with someone over if their Selective Mutism is valid even though they have been diagnosed as Autistic for long ! i believe they were greatly misinformed by their diagnosticians , ( if they are diagnosed at all , because in no way will a diagnostician diagnose an Autistic person as a Select Mute ! ) , and that they should look into getting retested and replacing their therapeutic team ! however , they did not seem to accept this fact even after sending sources online :C . please try to not do this ! there are many sources available , some linked below , explaining why Selective Mutism does not get diagnosed in Autistic people ! to fight against it makes Select Mutes feel mocked or as if theyre copied or fetishized , speaking from my own feelings !


TO BACK THIS UP⠀:⠀i am gonna link some studies and website posts which have talked about this very topic ! in a dream world , people would research more about this topic as again — it causes great discomfort in Select Mutes like me !

1 ( states that mutism must not be explained by Autism in order to be diagnosed ! ) ⠀more to come as i go over more articles and sources !

of course , none of this is to say you should trust me ! if youre looking into Selective Mutism , you have to visit a licensed diagnostician and or at least a therapist ! though , please keep these things in mind and refrain from mixing up Autism and Selective Mutism !
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Pub: 17 Sep 2022 18:39 UTC

Edit: 30 Aug 2025 15:03 UTC

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