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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

dd may have selective mutism

13 replies

wilk · 20/02/2008 11:48

My dd may have selective mutism - her key worker has raised concerns as she doesnt talk with the other children and will only talk to the teacher when encouraged. She is 4 and is lively and chatty at home. They have suggested speach therapy but I dont think this is the right route to go down. Any advice

OP posts:

Peachy · 20/02/2008 11:50

Hiya

Not an expert on selective mutism but I do know there are other famillies on ehre- and a Speech therapist as well who can advise.

Keep bumping and good luck

OneHandedTypist · 20/02/2008 12:09

I know 2 children with sm & (iirc) neither speaks even 2 their teacher or LSA (yr1) no matter how much encouraged. I believe it's an anxiety disorder, fundamentally? Very tough nut 2 crack.

mummyoffrankie · 20/02/2008 13:34

girl in my year 2 dds class with selective mutism did not speak through reception but gentle encouragement from teachers has resolved this and she now speaks confidently in most circumstances. she has had no official treatment, and her mum thinks her progress is due to the lack of pressure put on her to speak.try not to make it an issue as i think that could cause her to regress further.

Peachy · 20/02/2008 21:13

The girl in DS3's class with SM however does get regular SALT and 1-1 and has made the most amazing progress in the 18 months I have known her.

personally i'd say (and I have a minimally verbal 4.5 year old through ASD)that if there's even a hint of an issue, get on the SALT (speech therapy) list- it can take easily 18 months to see someone, and you can always cancel. But if things worsen in that time at elast you'll be on the list.

missmama · 20/02/2008 21:43

Wilk was SM mentioned by name?

My DS does not have this, but, every September when he changes classrooms and teachers (he is now yr2) I get called in for a chat as in the classroom itself he does not speak for about the first 6 weeks. He will whisper to the teacher or assistant after a while, but out of the classroom he is fine, when it is just the kids in the playground that sort of thing.

sunflowervalley · 29/02/2008 12:26

HI wilk-My son has selective mutism and is in year 2.

Like your DD my Ds is lively and chatty at home but does not speak at all in school.

I wuld go to your GP and ask him to refer you to someone who can explain SM to you and what the next step should be.
My DS was observed when he was in reception although he had been seeing a speech therapist because of phonological delay.

He know has 1:1 help through a statement at school and I do sling in sessions with him twice a week to encourage his confidence in talking in school.

It is a difficult situation and as someone mentioned is an anxiety disorder.
As such no pressure should be put on her to speak .

The school should be able through the school nurse or SENCO to get hold of information on SM and also the SM Resource Manual wriiten by Maggie Johnson is written with guidance for parents and schools.

Not an expert by any means ,only on my experiences with my DS but anything else you would like to ask I will try to support you.

Let me know how you get on please.

sunflowervalley · 29/02/2008 12:27

Sorry that should say
sliding in sessions

admylin · 29/02/2008 12:34

My dd had SM and went a whole year without speaking at school (Kindergarten actually as we are in Germany) - try to get some help if it's available as even when your dc starts to speak later the anxiety stays. I wish I was back in the UK so I could get help for dd, now she speaks at school but she has bad headaches through the stress of constantly wanting to please and do things right in school. These dc are usually very sensitive too.

I've been to 3 doctors here in Germany and they have never heard of SM. They just laughed it off, one doctor nearly fell off his chair laughing saying she was the most stubborn strong minded girl he'd seen and ha ha what a great time I would have when she became a teenager - great help he was.

tjacksonpfc · 29/02/2008 12:42

wilk i have exactly the same at the moment with my dd she is 3.7 and her nursery teacher picked up on it as she wouldnt speak to anyone in school only the teacher when prompted the teacher had a meeting with us as my dd is like yours chatty and lively at home and outside of school and we agreed to try speech therapy we were referred in sept and have just had our inital assemsent aand the salt has decided that she has heard sounds wrong and stored them in her brain so when she hears the other kids speak she realises she doesnt speak the same and so is reluctant to speak we are having speech therapy lessons for her and it is really helping her. so what i am saying is please dont dismiss the idea as it can really help.

bubblagirl · 29/02/2008 12:52

when i was a teaching assistant few yrs back was young girl who would talk to nobody

she diod in the end start talking to me as soon as left school with her mum she was the loudest of them all

i wouldnt worry to much this was at infants school by the time she got to juniors she was very chatty and had lots of friends

had lots of friends anyway but obviously she was just shy at that age

not sure but i think she had speech therapy think this could be why she came out of her shell at juniors school

allgonebellyup · 29/02/2008 12:52

my dd had/has selective mutism, and it is an anxiety disorder.
She only squeaks at school and to my mum (!) but is very LOUD at home!!

Im not sure if speech therapy would be any good as there is no physical problem with the speech is there? We were never offered it and i didnt think it was appropriate any way. i knew my dd was very shy and anxious, but an amazing speaker at home.

She is now 8 and improved a lot since she was 3/4, it just comes with age and the gradual confidence.

allgonebellyup · 29/02/2008 12:57

sorry just read the other posts and some people are saying speech therapy has worked, so apologies for claiming that it wouldnt be any help!!

sunflowervalley · 29/02/2008 13:08

Hi,the speech therapy that my DS had was brought about when the SALT visited us at home and Ds did say a few things because we were in his enviroment and felt safe.
But when we took him to numerous appointments outside the home he would not talk at all so it was stopped to concentrate on his SM.

It can be mis understood as stubborness but is much more deep rooted than that.
My son has not talked in class for 3 years so think putting it down to stubborness is just silly,he would have spoken by now or forgot himself if that was the case.
It is a fear.

It can be linked with other issues as admylin said.
My DS is a perectionist and highly sensitive to loud noises,haircuts,nail cutting.

He hates getting things wrong and is aware he sometimes has problems prononcing certain things so has a fear of sounding funny.

Some great hope for the future from the replies on here.

wilk-let us know how things are now

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