The information provided below is directed towards Teachers who believe that the parents of the child are unaware of the Selective Mutism.

First, teachers should consult their school psychologist and/or school counselor to discuss their concern over the child’s ‘silence’ and their suspicion about Selective Mutism. Then, arrange a meeting with the parents to discuss the child’s ‘inability to talk.’ Including the school psychologist and/or counselor is a good idea so various options for proper evaluation/assessment and potential treatments can be discussed. Providing parents with informational handouts that describe Selective Mutism is a gentle approach to conveying reasons for your suspicions for this diagnosis. Parents have often never heard of the term, Selective Mutism, and hearing such a term, without truly understanding the meaning, can be very frightening and intimidating to families.

A teacher should work with the parents to help alleviate as much anxiety as possible. By doing so, many children will often make progress more readily than if they are completely misunderstood and mismanaged.



There are varieties of methods that teachers can use to help the Selectively Mute child feel more comfortable and less anxious in the classroom. Primarily, a teacher should try to get to know the child in a completely unobtrusive and accepting manner. Visiting the child at home before the start of the school year is often beneficial. There is certainly no better place for children to feel more comfortable then in their own home! Visiting the children on their own turf will certainly allow for a more comfortable way of getting to know each other. I recommend sitting in the child’s room, asking them to show you their favorite books, artwork, CD’s, games, etc. Allow them to lead and direct the visit. It may take a few visits to the home before the child starts to open up.

If visiting the home is difficult, another tactic would be to meet the child at school, possibly before school starts in the morning. Have the parent bring the child as early as possible so the child does not feel so overwhelmed when a group of children is in the class at the same time. For the younger SM child, having their parent around is very comforting and helps the child feel more comfortable. When alone with the parent and the child, the teacher can try to engage the parent in conversation and allow the child to just observe. Just let the child know they are part of the conversation and that any kind of nonverbal communication is okay with you. Interacting with the child in an informal manner, with as little eye contact as possible, is strongly recommended. Having the child help you organize the room or setup activities is a wonderful way to connect without the pressure of direct questioning, which tends to intimidate the SM child.

Important advice is to NEVER make the child feel as though you are ‘waiting’ for him/her to speak. This expectation is anxiety provoking. In addition, it is important for teachers to not make a ‘big deal’ over any verbalization that does occur. Very often, the SM child will speak to a peer before a teacher. In this case, do not make mention that you ‘hear’ their voice. SM children will often pull away when that approach is taken!

Enabling for small group interaction is important and should be implemented as much as possible within the classroom. Pairing the SM child with a close friend or child that is accepting is also essential. As the SM child feels comfortable and begins communication, introducing other children, one by one, is encouraged.

As a comfort level is being reached, the teacher and parent(s) should agree on a ‘plan’ to help the child. A qualified professional, such as a physician, psychologist, social worker, or school counselor who is competent in treating Selective Mutism, is a definite necessity in helping develop a ‘plan’ for the child.

The process of ‘helping a child overcome Selective Mutism’ is a step-wise process that must be approached with patience and confidence. There is no over-night miracle cure for selective Mutism. With the guidance of school professionals, children will build various behavior and coping skills that will allow them to slowly emerge out of their anxious state.

Source: selectivemutismcenter.org/AAAAAAttachments/helpingteachersunderstand.htm

If you are a teacher who is receiving bad advice from a colleague you also need to know how to recognize it...

SM is NOT a behaviour problem, it is a mental health issue - a psychological condition that is anxiety based. Many school personnel either do not recognize or accept that this is the case and engage in a behaviour management approach to the situation. We spent a great deal of energy and time addressing this with our daughter's school - particularly the Resource Teacher and Principal.

They were convincing the KG teacher to do things like:
---"when you see her approach you avoid eye contact and turn your back to force her to speak up"
WRONG. This had a terrible impact on her sense of security and her connection to the teacher.

---"When she stands in front of you with her coat unzipped waiting for help, tell her she must ask"
WRONG - this resulted in our daughter going outside in sub zero weather with her coat open on several occassions until other children began helping her.

---"Don't help her open her difficult lunch packages unless she asks"
WRONG - Now we had to deal with a child who was also cranky due to hunger on top of things.

Other signs that your colleagues may be on the wrong track:
-Assuming the parents are indulgent and never set limits with their child
-Advocte Parents are described in teh staff room as trouble makers or "difficult"
-Staff begin to dislike the child based on their own failure to coax the child to speak
-Anyone takes a "I can get her to talk to ME" approach

If you have or believe you have a child in your class with SM, and your school support personnel are
handling things as described above, please seek another opinion from the District School Psychologist.

"Managing" the child's behaviour as described above can have a devestating impact and makes it so much more difficult for the child to be able to attend. When it comes to a phobia, children will go to very extreme lengths to avoid what is terrifying them -- kicking, fighting, screaming, etc.

Imagine how far you would go to avoid your worst fear - what if you had to walk bare foot through a pile of spiders in order to get to school? How "spoiled" would you act to avoid doing it?

Rick