Coronation Street youngster Sam has suffered the worst experience of his life following the death of mum Natasha.
And Corrie viewers hearts broke on Wednesday as he insisted he visited her body at the undertakers so he could properly accept that he wouldn’t be seeing her again.
Sam’s silence
Nick was reluctant to take his young son to see his mum, fearing it would be just too traumatic.
His fears appear to have been correct as, in last night’s episode, Sam was in the bathroom for an hour and was not communicating with his dad.
Leanne and Nick eventually managed to coax him out for some food but he still wasn’t speaking.
Later Nick tried to engage him in conversation, apologising for taking him to see Natasha, but Sam just stared at the television, before silently going back to the bathroom.
Nick wondered if they should speak to Toyah to organise him some counselling – Leanne tried to reason that he was suffering from terrible shock and his reaction is normal.
But is there more to it, and will Sam struggle to find his voice again?
This storyline continues to touch viewers.
One predicted: “Sam has developed selective mutism, poor kid.”
Another noted: “It is really powerful to watch Sam go from talking so much at the start of the week, to now not saying a word.”
A third congratulated actor Jude Riordan’s portrayal: “Sam is the same but looks so different. A fantastic portrayal of a life being turned upside down.”
Read more: Corrie: Will Corey finally do down after being double-crossed?
Is Sam suffering from psychogenic mutism?
This is a condition whereby someone – usually a child – who is capable of speaking suddenly stops.
While it might seem they are simply refusing to speak, the sufferer actually feels physically unable to.
Trauma can be a cause of psychogenic mutism.
There is treatment – by working out and addressing the underlying cause. Psychotherapy and therapy can help – punishing or using coercive tactics to get the sufferer to speak can cause increased anxiety.
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