Giving voice to silence: a goal shared by the families of children with Selective Mutism
The aggregation potential of the Web are functional also to the needs of families of children with selective mutism, childhood personality disorder due to anxiety, characterized by an inability of the child to speak in various social situations.
Many distinctive features of the behavior that children with inhibited behavior are (as a certain inhibition to speak in public) are attributed by some scholars ( Shifon-Blum et al.) At a threshold of excitability of the amygdala, lower than those who do not have this disorder.
The social contexts in which children are not comfortable with MS are: schools, recreation centers which are organized parties, the parks where they meet other kids, etc ... The problem
anxiety that occurs with characteristics of selective mutism in Italy has not produced a 'extensive clinical literature, for this reason, parents of affected children find a channel to vent on blogs, where you ask questions, talk about their experience and dispenses advice on how to address common issues characterize this disorder.
Gradually, more and more users are added, and the creators of these virtual spaces have realized that it would create an ever-wider group.
were born of relations of friendship, which, for some users, there have been virtual.
binding of aid, which has been established, managed to bring benefits to the mood of all participants ..
addition to containing information on cases of silence that resulted in the world and scientific studies of some scholars, these blogs allow access to forums for parents who live together for some time with their child's selective silence and want to tell Personal adventures in the path traversed treatment of this disorder.
Among the most important are those stories of some parents who have seen your child open to the use of verbal language with people other than family members, following a change of schools, and attribute this progress to greater serenity he found the new school.
Also on these forums, other parents say they attributed to their child's early participation in sports activities outside the school, one of the reasons that may fostered him out of the silence. About
cases in which children with MS can unlock by participating in recreational / sport extracurricular release could be related to a greater sense of personal confidence that they would feel when they play with peers who do not know their anxiety disorder, compared to when they are in contexts in which they have branded the "problem" and show attention only to the observers external rather than their actual performance in the game.
Instead, play with peers, with whom they want to achieve a common goal
(.. score points, win ..), these children are able to focus solely on their performance to bring the benefit of belonging to the team and almost not at all tend to curb their actions while moving in front of an audience wide.
These two aspects would help them to live not the problem anxious during extra-curricular activities, which is why, while it takes place, it would leave to go to verbal communication
(M. Scorpiniti).
Exclusion from verbal communication with people outside your family, by people with MS, it creates a degree of concern and distress in their parents. The news, which is located on these blogs, that other people with MS have been able to talk outside the family, can bring back the enthusiasm in all those people who hope for a cure for their child.
The objectives of these spaces on-line there is therefore to offer a 'wide range of communication and exchange of information on the disorder, but also to revive, among users, the hope of moving their family from the emotional block that restricts the use of the word.
This is a channel aimed, however, not only to the parents involved, but anyone interested in this subject and want to document or provide additional contributions.
Probably, many families do not know of the existence of these groups. However, the latter, they would be useful not to lose confidence in the possibility of overcoming the disorder.
more specific objectives of these blogs are: - a favor in Italy more scientific research on Selective Mutism - create an 'association of parents of children who suffer from this difficulty.
In France there is a group that manages an entire site dedicated to Selective Mutism, which is made available to families living this issue, a forum that allows them to compete on the type of treatment used. This site can be found also new studies on the subject that could be translated into different languages \u200b\u200bfor their wider dissemination.
The sharing of successful experiences in the treatment of selective mutism and the collection of international research, published on the blog, definitely have an idea commitment that these parents are paying to achieve the result of moving from silence their little ones.
In conclusion, selective mutism as a disorder, little known to the research, only a few years ago, may now be faced with fewer concerns from doctors, but also by the families of affected children, because they are new studies promoting the knowledge and made evident some experience resolution of symptoms that are major sources from which to draw to advance research.
in reference to cite the source:
Scorpiniti, M. (2009)
Giving voice to silence
a goal shared by
families of children with selective mutism.
web.i2000net.it/mscorpinitipsicologo /
Rome, 21/2/2009
Bibliography
Guyton AC. Neuroscience - The Basics of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.
E. Shipon-Blum, Compredere the "selective mutism" - A guide to help teachers understand.
(http://www.selectivemutism.org)
Scorpiniti M., A developmental anxiety disorder: selective mutism, November 2008
(web.i2000net.it/mscorpinitipsicologo /)
http : / / www.affrontalansia.blogspot.com/
http://www.ilfarodellavita.com/
http://www.mutismoselettivoblog.net/
http://www.nienteansia.it/forum/
