Selective mutism

Selective mutism (also referred as SM) is an anxiety disorder where a person normally cannot speak in specific situations, specific places, or to specific people if a certain condition is triggered. Selective mutism usually happens while the person has a social anxiety disorder.^[1][2][3][4] Children and adults with selective mutism are fully capable of speech and understanding language but simply cannot speak because they physically cannot speak in certain settings.^[5] People with selective mutism stay silent even when the consequences of their silence include shame, social rejection, or punishment.^[6]