Selective Mutism in Children: Manifestations, Diagnosis, Therapy

Why does the girl not speak in kindergarten? Why does the

boy remain silent during school? Selectively mute children

have the ability to speak, but choose not to use it in un-familiar situations or in the communication with certain

people. A conversation with these children is often not

possible at all or only via gestures or written messages.

Nitza Katz-Bernstein elaborates in her book on the symp-toms of this dysfunction and explains the diagnostics and

different therapies. She takes into consideration thera-peutic elements from various disciplines such as speech

therapy, as well as different schools of child and adoles-cent psychotherapy.<\/P>"