Help for parents: tips on mutism and anxiety disorders in children!

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Lectures on clinical child and adolescent psychology at the University of Giessen: topics on anxiety disorders, autism and mutism.

Vorträge zur Klinischen Kinder- und Jugendpsychologie an der Uni Gießen: Themen zu Angststörungen, Autismus und Mutismus.
Lectures on clinical child and adolescent psychology at the University of Giessen: topics on anxiety disorders, autism and mutism.

Help for parents: tips on mutism and anxiety disorders in children!

On October 18, 2025, the Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Justus Liebig University of Gießen invites you to an informative series of lectures. The event is aimed at parents, teachers, educators and healthcare professionals. These lectures provide the opportunity to understand and apply various psychological topics.

The event takes place at Otto-Behaghel-Straße 10C, lecture hall 5A in Gießen and starts at 6 p.m. Each lecture will last approximately 90 minutes. This platform aims to expand knowledge about relevant psychological topics that are important in the care and upbringing of children.

Lecture content and dates

The lecture series covers the following topics:

  • 27. Oktober 2025: „Wenn Kinder manchmal verstummen: Erkennen, Verstehen und Handeln bei selektivem Mutismus“ – Referentin: Prof. Dr. Christina Schwenck. Selektiver Mutismus betrifft circa 1 % der Kinder und Jugendlichen und führt dazu, dass Kinder in bestimmten Situationen, wie beispielsweise in der Schule, nicht sprechen können.
  • 3. November 2025: „Ängstlich, Angst, Angststörung? – ängstliches Verhalten bei Kindern verstehen“ – Referentinnen: Dr. Naomi Werkmann, Carolin Röse-Werkmann, Antonia Buchal. Der Vortrag beleuchtet die Entwicklung von ängstlichem Verhalten vom Kleinkind- bis Jugendalter und die Differenzierung zwischen alterstypischen und klinisch auffälligen Ängsten.
  • 10. November 2025: „Kinder im Autismus-Spektrum begleiten – Verständnis schaffen, Förderung ermöglichen“ – Referentinnen: Dr. Gloria Gehb, Alexandra Ntiso. Es erfolgt ein Vergleich zwischen Autismus-Spektrum-Störung und selektivem Mutismus, mit dem Ziel einer präziseren Differentialdiagnostik.

Mutism and Autism: Insights into Psychology

A central theme of the lectures is the difference between selective mutism and autism. Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder in which children are unable to speak in certain social situations while communicating normally in others. This disorder often begins in preschool age and can lead to significant social and academic impairments.

In contrast, autism spectrum disorder is an early childhood developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction. While children with selective mutism are able to communicate nonverbally, children with autism often have difficulty in social interaction, leading to challenges with eye contact and emotional empathy. This makes it essential that professionals carry out a comprehensive assessment to avoid misunderstandings and misdiagnosis. The ability to accurately differentiate symptoms is critical to diagnostic accuracy.

The lectures not only provide detailed information about selective mutism and anxiety disorders, but also highlight the need for precise differential diagnosis between these and other disorders in order to ensure the best possible support for affected children.

For further information, interested parties can contact Prof. Dr. Contact Christina Schwenck on 0641 99-26015 or by email. The Justus Liebig University website also offers comprehensive details on the topics of the lecture series: www.uni-giessen.de.