Have just listened to this very sensitive and myth-busting programme on Radio 4:
//www.bbc.cohttp:.uk/programmes/b051s0fm
My daughter has SM. I think she would have had shyness/anxiety issues anyway but these were compounded when, at the age of 4, she had a traumatic experience at the hands of an adult we had trusted with her care. Added to this, she is the youngest in her class in a large school.
School has been supportive and she is slowly making progress; she is making more friends in the playground, although she still doesn't speak in class. It has been a heartbreaking journey for her, and us, with others often not understanding that this is not a parenting issue or a problem of 'wilfulness' on her part.
It was so good to listen to such a thoughtful and affirming discussion of SM. Thank you Helen Keen and Radio4!