My son was diagnosed with SM about 4 years ago and he is now almost 8 years old. We are doing best we can to help him. We are living in London and few doctors suggested medication. I am not comfortable to the idea of medicine. Can you please give me some information about the medicine and also whether you recommend medication also. Thank you.

Answer

Regarding your 8 year old son, if you have truly tried everything you can with the help of a doctor and/or therapist and your son is truly Selectively Mute, then YES, I do recommend a 9-12 month ‘jump start’ with medication. We have had tremendous results with medication. Read over the many questions previous to yours where other individuals ask about medication. You can learn a lot about the various meds out there. Medication has been a true lifesaver for so many SM kids. Within a week we can even see changes in some kids! This is proof that these children truly have a biochemical imbalance.

I am an advocate of medication when you truly do not know what else to do. You mentioned being against medication, why??? Because there are no long studies??? Well, nothing is guaranteed, but preliminary information states these drugs are safe. Also, let me ask you this, What are the longterm implications or side effects from a child that is so anxious they are mute in most, if not all public settings? How does this affect a child’s self-esteem, social development, and overall well-being? I have seen completely dysfunctional sm kids treated with medication and have been completely cured of their SM allowing them to develop and start a new!

Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum