Most disorders present in children or adolescents have distinct symptoms that can be easily detected as being atypical and hinting at a disorder. However, there are other disorders that are much more difficult to recognize or even diagnose. A disorder particularly seen in children and adolescents is selective mutism. Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder in which a child is persistently unable to speak and express their feelings in certain situations and to certain people. These children, however, are able to express themselves comfortably in more familiar contexts. To help children with selective mutism, it is essential to fully understand the etiology and current treatments available. Selective mutism is a rare disorder for which many questions still remain unanswered. Selective mutism was first recognized by a man named Kussmaul in the 19th century. He named the disorder voluntary aphasia to describe the disorder in which individuals cannot speak under specific conditions or to people. The disorder gained the name elective mutism in the 1930s to better explain the persistent inability of individuals to speak under certain conditions. Currently, it is referred to as selective mutism by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) and is known to initially occur in infants and childhood. Children who have been diagnosed with selective mutism continue to be unable to speak at school and with classmates. However, the child is able to communicate effectively at home with his or her parents (Wong, 2010). Since selective mutism has certain criteria defined by the n for a child to be diagnosed. The first and most important......middle of article......rather than an anxiety related disorder and therefore the treatments are very different. Selective mutism is a very difficult disorder to treat because the etiology is not yet fully understood. Information regarding this disorder is also limited due to its rarity. However, the prognosis for the disease is good with medication and aggressive therapy, whether familial or behavioral. The disorder resembles many other disorders such as PDD and adjustment disorder characterized by shyness. These two disorders can be easily separated from selective mutism by knowing the symptoms easily. Future research is certainly needed to better understand the biological and psychological impact of selective mutism as well as to better understand the etiology. Having more knowledge about the cause and impact of the disorder allows for better treatment.