 SM Brochure for parents to pass to teachers
Posted By Dr Fung On 12/17/2003 7:29:57 PM In Read
“Why doesn’t this child speak to me or his/her classmates?”
“I’ve never seen any child who is so shy.”
“Why is this child ignoring my question all the time?”
Dear Teacher
Have you ever come across such a child, one who behaves like any normal child except speak to you or his/her classmates? You are sure that the child is not mute but you have yet to hear him/her speak at all. No matter how you tried to get the child to speak, he/she simply remains as quiet as ever. Probably you are both baffled and frustrated, but you just do not know what is happening and how to help.
What you need to know…
If you do see any of your students showing similar behaviours as described above, it is very likely that he/she is having this condition called Selective Mutism (SM).
We are a group of parents whose children have been diagnosed with this condition. As part of our efforts to create a greater public awareness of this problem, we have come up with this information leaflet to provide you with the necessary information and pointers so that you can help us to identify other children with a similar condition early. If you are already having children with SM in your class, we hope this could help you to understand them better.
What is Selective Mutism?
· Generally, children with SM speak only to their close ones in certain environments such as their homes. But they would not speak to others at all, particularly while they are in other environments like school. In other words, these children select the types of environment and occasion to become “mute”.
· Selective Mutism (SM) is a rare condition found in children when they start school but can be present at all age levels including teens. Available statistics show that it occurs in less than 1% of all children. In Singapore, we have a rate of 0.36% among children seen at the Child Guidance Clinic, which translates to about 40 children in a 3 year period. It is not surprising that some teachers or schools have never seen this problem before.
How do you know whether a child has Selective Mutism?
· Children with SM often show an anxiety, fear or phobia of being heard or seen speaking at school or other social settings.
· Whenever they are spoken to by people whom they are not familiar with, they would usually look down, blush, freeze or stare blankly. This is due to their persistent fear of performance or social interaction.
· SM children are usually branded by others as being shy and slow to warm up. Remaining silent is one way of coping with anxiety whenever they are placed in a situation or environment which requires them to speak.
· They usually face difficulties in developing social relationships with other children, whether in or outside the school.
Why is this a probable concern in your school?
· Because of their fear to speak in school, these children often feel isolated socially. They may even become potential targets for bully by other children who are not aware of this condition.
· Going to the toilets can be quite a challenge to them. If they are not able to express this need to others and exercise proper control, the consequences can be very embarrassing.
· They may have difficulty buying food, drinks and other things on their own from the school canteen, bookshop etc.
· To avoid having to speak, they usually shun group activities and events. This may affect their school performance and social development skills.
What can you do to help these children?
As you are the only adults whom these children can turn to for help and support while they are in school, we believe that you can play an effective and instrumental role in reshaping their lives in this respect. With your care and support, we are confident that these children will gradually overcome their fear and phobia.
There are a few things you could do to help these children:
(i) Be assured that these children are not trying to be rude or defiant – if you see them turning their faces away or keeping silent when you try to talk to them. This lack of response is merely an indication of their preference to be left alone. Your patience in understanding their peculiar problem will go a long way in encouraging them to speak up eventually.
(ii) You could ask them to express their intentions or feelings in other ways instead of verbal communication. Some non-verbal means of communications include writing on a paper or board, gestures by hand or whispering. This can help to lower their anxiety level and make them more comfortable when interacting with you.
(iii) Being more patient with them and speaking slowly in a calm manner is helpful. If necessary, repeating what you have just said in order to emphasize certain points is also helpful. It is better to avoid direct questioning as far as possible as this may result in increased anxiety.
(iv) It is best not to give them the impression that they are expected to speak up whenever you speak to them, as this gesture would enable them to feel less pressured. It would also help them feel less anxious and they would not think that they are letting you down by not speaking.
(v) The SM child often has difficulty “initiating and responding” when he/she is anxious or uncomfortable. Saying or indicating “thank you, hello or goodbye” is incredibly difficult for them. Do try to allow adequate time for verbal and/or non-verbal responses.
(vi) If you do notice that they are becoming edgy, it is important to reassure them of your earnest support by smiling at them, gently touching their heads or shoulders. All these gestures of approval would ease their minds and raise their comfort level.
(vii) Generally, these children prefer a more routine lifestyle, which is not subject to frequent and sudden changes. If any change in schedule is needed, they may need more time to adjust in comparison to other children.
(viii) Very often, they will speak to a peer first before talking to the teachers. If you do notice that, it is best not to highlight it to the whole class as a form of encouragement because this would only make them more self-conscious and they may choose to shut themselves off from the rest even further.
(ix) Last but not least, allowing these children to develop at their own pace would be the best form of encouragement as it will make them less withdrawn and anxious.
What can be done to the school environment to help these children?
There are many ways in which the school principal, teachers and students can help these children:
(i) One way of encouraging them to talk is to seat them next to a classmate who likes to talk and yet, is both understanding and helpful. This may help to foster a close friendship between them, which is an important first step towards opening up their private world.
(ii) As these children are not likely to be enthusiastic about participating in group or co-curriculum activities, it would be beneficial for these children if the school exempts them from being graded for these activities for a start. As a form of encouragement, they could be allowed to join as observers in the activities first. Once they feel more comfortable in carrying out some of the easier tasks, they may be more willing to join in the group gradually. There may be a need to try different approaches in engaging them.
(iii) Another effective way of involving them in the class activities is to assign some simple classroom responsibilities to them. This can help to boost their confidence level and lower their anxiety while giving them a greater sense of belonging. The type of responsibilities could commensurate with their traits, talents and inclinations.
(iv) If possible, the parents of these children may be invited to help out within the classroom so that their children will feel more “at home”.
(v) The school could allow occasional visits by the parents and other care-givers of these children during school recesses or assembly time (before and after lessons) so that the children will feel less anxious in these transitional periods.
What are our other plans for teachers and the school?
As a newly formed Parents’ Support Group, we would like to adopt a more open approach in working closely with the teachers and the school as a whole for the benefits of our children. It cannot be overemphasized that our immediate objective is not to get our children to speak to everyone in their classes. Rather, we are aiming towards identifying specific factors that may be causing our children to become anxious in the school. We always welcome ideas and suggestions from all of you. After all, we share the common aim of developing the best of our children, both in their studies and their character development. We are sure that with your cooperation and support, we would be able to achieve the seemingly impossible.
Besides this information leaflet, we would also be liaising with some schools for the medical professionals in this field to give talks to the teachers. Another initiative we have in mind is to create a new website to allow more effective exchange of information amongst all the people who are concerned with these children.
In the meantime, other websites currently available are the following:
www.quietroom.homestead.com
www.selectivemutism.org.
Printed by : Selective Mutism Support Group
Advisor : Dr Daniel Fung
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist and Chief, Child
Guidance Clinic
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