Written question asked by Peter Soulsby (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 June 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 8 June 2006. It was answered by Parmjit Dhanda (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 June 2006 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Selective Mutism

Question: (4) what assessment his Department has made of the incidence of selective mutism among children under the age of 16 years; and if he will make a statement;

Answer: The Department has not commissioned any recent research or produced guidance specifically on selective mutism, although it is one of a number of communication difficulties addressed in our Early Support publication "Speech and language difficulties", published in 2005.Where a child is exhibiting selective mutism in a school or early years setting we would normally expect early referral to a speech and language therapist and/or psychologist. Selective mutism often appears associated with anxiety, and thus may be linked to a number of factors. Patience and understanding, coupled with measured interventions designed to build the child's confidence, appear to have beneficial effects, as does reducing pressure on the child.The Department has not made any assessment of the incidence of selective mutism, or any assessment of the adequacy of information available. In 2002-03 and 2003-04 we gave grants of £30,000 and £2,000 respectively to help the Selective Mutism Information and Research Association (SMIRA) produce an instructional video entitled "Silent Children—Approaches To Selective Mutism" and an associated booklet.

Secondary information