Children who talk at home, but are unresponsive to others at school or in public for at least a month might have selective mutism (SM), an anxiety disorder, the Selective Mutism Association of Taiwan said on Sunday.
One in 140 Taiwanese schoolchildren has SM, but the resources for treating the disorder are limited, the association said, adding that it invited Ruth Perednik, an English-born Israeli psychologist and pioneer in the field, to give a lecture on Sunday about how to care for children with SM.
SM has an incidence rate of six to eight per 1,000 people — not a low rate — and is marked by an inability to speak out in certain environments, even when called on by a teacher, said Ministry of Health and Welfare Department of Mental and Oral Health Director-General Chen Li-chung (諶立中), who attended the lecture in Taipei.
These children are often viewed as shy introverts and are more likely to be bullied at school, he said.
Many believe the behaviors exhibited by children with the disorder are taught by their parents, while many parents think their children just do not like to talk and therefore do not require medical attention, Chen said, adding that he has not treated a single SM patient in his 30 years as a practicing psychiatrist.
Lin Tzu-hsin (林姿杏), a special education teacher at Tuku Junior High School in Yunlin County, said she has taught six students with SM over the past three years, most of whom were diagnosed after showing learning disabilities, meaning that students with SM who have good grades are difficult to identify.
Most students will take out their books and materials after sitting down in the classroom, but students with serious SM will sit straight in their seats without moving, only reacting when their teacher gives them instructions, she said.
The students’ classmates often think they are strange for sitting still, not talking and not making facial expressions, while some teachers will mistake their behavior for deliberate insubordination, she added.
However, in situations they find comfortable, such as at home or in a familiar environment, they will act and talk normally, Lin said.
Perednik said she became interested in SM after her then-four-year-old son was misdiagnosed and mistreated after he suddenly stopped speaking outside the home.
The onset of SM often occurs between two and six years old, and is slightly more common in girls, she said, adding that affected children feel anxious when they are asked to speak and relieved when they try not speaking.
SM can be categorized into four types in order of severity. Children with the mildest form speak selectively or whisper in certain environments, while those with more severe forms are unable to communicate verbally, but can respond with body language. The most severe type is typified by a stiff posture and lack of facial expressions.
Children with SM might seem totally different at home than at school, cannot express themselves and are tense in some environments, so if the condition persists for more than a month, parents should seek medical attention, Perednik said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by