Do you have experience of selective mutism? I need some advice please!

[olivo]

DD is 3, and has been under SALt since just before 2yo. I self referred as she had few words. Over the past year, her talking has really come on. She now uses probably as much vocab as her peers but is still quite unclear in many cases. She also refuses to speak in front of people she does not know well. SALT are monitoring her, and have talked about social anxiety and selective mutism has been mentioned, at the moment as something that we need to try and 'prevent'.

So, if you have experience, can I ask when did your child become selectively mute, and in which situations. How did your DC cope with nursery or school?

I know someone who was mute at school[not sure if primary and/or secondary] who now speaks absolutely fine[tho on quiet side]: by late teens if not before

theres a fb group here www.facebook.com/groups/347613499222/ and smira (selective mutism information research association) has a website here www.smira.org.uk

Hi, I work in a secondary school and we have two girls who are selective mutes. One girl you would Beverly know as she charters away. Another is very quite but will talk- unless she's unsure of something and then the mutism kicks in. The school is really good with it and makes staff aware.
I know your daughter is lots younger, but hope that helps a bit x

Not really sure that it would help to know that waiting to be a mummy as her daughter is only 3 and only has signs of it and it has been picked up early there is a good chance that if the right work is done at this age that the selective mutism will resolve well before secondary age, if it is that, that might be an issue.
Do you secondary age children not have any speech and language programs in places to help them?

Take a look at some Torey Hayden books. They are novels based on true stories involving her work with children with selective Mutism.

Some info from Wiki about her
? Hayden is a child psychologist, special education teacher, university lecturer and writer of non-fiction books based on her real-life experiences with teaching and counseling children with special needs.?

?Subjects covered in her books include autism, Tourette syndrome, sexual abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, and elective mutism (now called selective mutism), her specialty.?

HTH

DO NOT TAKE A LOOK AT TOREY HAYDENS BOOKS!! She has no clue about selective mutism and just uses it a topic to sensationalise and make money, she does not understand selective mutism and is not a valid reference!!! This is view is not just a personal one t is backed by the UK charity for SM smira.

Sorry wasuup3000,
Her books were the only time I?ve really heard of Selective Mutism.

Ignore what I said

wasuup3000 properly has the best suggestion with having a look at SMIRA website.

x

It is ok Torey equates selective mutism with abuse which I think would alarm the orginal poster - hence my strong response.

Will keep the past reading of her books under my hat in future .

Apologies OP. Sorry I couldn't help, that was the only (misinformed) knowledge I have of SM.

Feel a bit aggrieved we were ?recommended? those books to read on a Psychology course.

SM is really misunderstood still and there are many myths and misconceptions about it even by professionals. Maggie Johnson and Alison Wintgens wrote the selective mutism resource mamual that will be the most use for any professional or parent on this topic.