Selective Mutism vs Reactive Mutism: A Position Paper Advocating for Improved Terminology, Understanding, and Support.

Right now, the term situational mutism is being used to describe two very different things:

• One is selective mutism — a phobia of the expectation to speak. 

• The other is what we’re calling reactive mutism — a shutdown response due to stress, trauma or overwhelm.

They may look similar on the surface, but they need very different approaches, and getting it wrong can cause real harm.

We’ve written a new position paper to help professionals, families and services understand the difference, so people get the right support.

Co-written by Andy Smith and Maggie Johnson (Speech and Language Therapist and co-author of The Selective Mutism Resource Manual), this paper is part one of a two part series, where part two will cover helpful interventions and support for selective mutism, reactive mutism and for when they co-occur. 

To inform the second paper, there is a Google Form linked on the second page of this report, where we would love to hear your feedback on what we have written.

You can download the position paper here:

SM vs RM Position Paper May 2025.pdf

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