http://teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/eileen-dame/selective-mutism-silent-and-misunderstood/

Following is an excerpt from Eileen Dame's timely and
helpful article on selective mutism in the October issue of
Teachers.Net Gazette:

Introverted. Anti-social. Withdrawn. Is there any teacher
who has not encountered such a child? Not the merely quiet
and reserved student, but the silent kid, the one who cannot
make eye-contact, the one who does not speak to more than
one or two other children, if that.

Max (not his real name) was sullen, somber, alone. He never
smiled. He rarely looked up. He spoke to no one, and no
one spoke to him. Socially awkward students in middle
school are not uncommon, but Max’s isolation was extreme. I
was sure something was terribly wrong, and made it my
mission to help. He tolerated my efforts: he did not avoid
me, he listened patiently to my words of encouragement, my
offers to help. And yet, he never answered even the
simplest question. In fact, the more time we spent
together, the more remote he became. Head down, face blank,
eyes averted, foot tapping. What was wrong? He trusted me.
Why couldn’t he talk to me?

Max could not talk to me, nor to anyone else, because he
suffered from Selective Mutism.

Please share this link with other educators!

Click here to read the full article, Silent and Misunderstood

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