the.com/mutism
When silence isn't a choice but a locked door you're standing behind.
means The persistent inability or refusal to speak, whether rooted in neurology, trauma, or anxiety.
from From Latin mutus, meaning silent or speechless, the same root that gave us mute and the swallowed letters we still spell but never sound.
Selective kindSome speak freely at home, freeze in public.
Not deafnessHearing and understanding stay fully intact.
Childhood onsetSelective mutism often surfaces before age five.