A MUM has spoken about her three-year-old daughter’s battle with a disorder that prevents her from talking.

Rachael Taylor’s daughter Sophie suffers from selective mutism – an anxiety-based mental health disorder that prevents her from speaking in some situations.

Sufferers will speak freely in some circumstances, for example at home, but will remain silent in others.

In some cases the condition can persist and last into adulthood.

The condition affects one in 150 children but is relatively unheard of, and Sophie was only diagnosed 11 months ago after her granddad said it was the first time he’d heard her speak.

Rachael, who works at B&Q in Winwick, said: “We had never heard of it before and we had always thought she was a bit shy – she was always loud around me and shy with everyone else.

“There are people in the medical world who don’t get it and it’s not talked about.

“We can’t get up and go to the zoo – we have to talk about it for days before.

“It was the same with preschool, we had to talk about it months before so that it doesn’t feel like a big change.

Selective mutism begins in under fives and may only be noticed for the first time when children start school.

Rachael added: “The hard thing for me is she’s too young to get treatment.

“Until she starts to struggle in school they won’t get involved.

“It was really difficult because I don’t want to wait to have my child struggling to help her.

But Sophie is now progressing well in preschool.

Rachael said: “She’s doing better than we thought she would – she talks to teachers and children in school and on her first day at school she responded to her teacher.

“The earlier you catch it the easier it is for making life easier – it should be something supported and diagnosed early so they can lead a normal life.

“A lot of people haven’t heard of it and don’t understand what it is.

October is selective mutism month, and the Selective Mutism Information and Research Association is keen to raise awareness of the condition and highlight that an early intervention is crucial for an effective recovery.