Selective Mute

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Selective Mute

by PalmdaleMark

Jan 28, 2017

Anyone have a strategy for getting a selective mute to communicate? I've tried picture cards and fantasy role play with no success...has anyone gotten their selective mute to speak? Thank!

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PalmdaleMark On 1/28/17, men wrote: > On 1/28/17, PalmdaleMark wrote: >> Anyone have a strategy for getting a selective mute to >> communicate? I've tried picture cards and fantasy role > play >> with no success...has anyone gotten their selective mute > to >> speak? Thank! > > I just waited it out but I had the boy for 1 ...See More

Jan 28, 2017

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Kare/Can I worked with a boy several years ago. He hadn't talked while in Kindergarten and he came into my class for grade one and grade two. For those two years he was under the care of a psychologist who specialized in selective mutism. He always spoke at home and with two neighbourhood friends. He was starting to phase out grandparents. The psychologist ...See More

Jan 29, 2017

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A I have no advice on how to work with such a child, but I'd start by talking to the parents and previous teachers. No need for you to recreate the wheel; instead, as what's been tried, what worked, what didn't work. Find out all you can about the student's strengths and weaknesses.

Jan 29, 2017

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Louisiannie No advice. I'll share my story. The boy was in the 8th grade. A million years ago. Small system. No support programs.

The students immediately put me on to the situation when he didn't answer roll call the first day.

"William doesn't talk."

Not "can't" - just accept it.. Move on.

He never re...See More

Jan 31, 2017

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ELL teacher On 1/28/17, PalmdaleMark wrote: > Anyone have a strategy for getting a selective mute to > communicate? I've tried picture cards and fantasy role play > with no success...has anyone gotten their selective mute to > speak? Thank!

I've had two. Both were teenagers and both were EL students (no, I'm not confusing an EL student's &...See MoreOn 1/28/17, PalmdaleMark wrote: > Anyone have a strategy for getting a selective mute to > communicate? I've tried picture cards and fantasy role play > with no success...has anyone gotten their selective mute to > speak? Thank!

I've had two. Both were teenagers and both were EL students (no, I'm not confusing an EL student's "silent period" with selective mutism; I'm an ELL teachers so I've seen that many times before but with these two it was very different: refusal to speak in any language at school, even native language, for more than two years, long after English comprehension and writing had gotten fairly good; speaking in other contexts such as at home but not at school). I agree with the advise that has been given by others. Trying to force the child to speak will make it worse. Find out what has been done in the past and who you can refer him to, but also be prepared to "wait it out".

One of my two would repeat words but would not say a single word at school although his sister said he "wouldn't shut up at home" and at home he used both English and his native language. At school he started speaking in a very quiet whisper after a couple of months if he had someone nearby who would model what to say, but all of his words at that point were repeated from someone else. This progressed to whispered oral reading and then a very few, whispered phrases ("yes," "no," "may I go to the bathroom?" "it's not mine," "please explain," and so on). In written work he was actually one of my better students, progressing in written English faster than most. Then one day after almost two years he suddenly started speaking, in the same good English he was using for written work by that point.

The other student was also with me for two years but was still not speaking when he left (he moved out of the area). He developed a very elaborate system of gestures (which was really quite creative and it was impressive how much he could communicate with it). He occasionally whispered a few words to go along with the gestures. Like the other student, his comprehension and writing were good by the end of the two years, but he still did not start speaking. In his case his gestures were so expressive that I think he had less motivation to start speaking - what he had been doing was working so well for him by that point!

For my two I believe that the fact that school took place in their second language was part (or all) of the cause of their selective mutism; I see it as the likely cause, but believe the same sort of situation can be caused by other fears or traumas as well. Your student's situation may be similar, even if there is no language issue involved. Other than seeking professional support for the student I recommend patience, finding ways to communicate even if they don't involve speech, allowing/encouraging whispers and repetition or "oral reading while still not yet using one's own words" as signs of progress when the student is ready. We treated all of these steps as normal, never making a big deal out of them but certainly making sure that any attempt at speech was accepted and got a reasonable (but not over-reactive) response. The students did make progress but it does take time.

Jan 31, 2017

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