Can anyone share any experiences with children diagnosed/treated for select mutism? My 4 y.o. daughter is going to be evaluated for this condition. Thanks!
A friend of mine is a psychotherapist who specializes in childhood anxiety and selective mutism. I realize you are too far to see her in person (she's on Long Island in NY), but she has a website (childhoodanxietysws.com). You may find some helpful info there. Good luck. :)
My dd was diagnosed at the age of 4 while in preschool. She was placed on an IEP and enrolled in a communication class through the public school's early childhood intervention program. Someone also came to see her once a week at preschool. She was not diagnosed until February so she was only in the class for two months. The IEP was good until the end of Kindergarten.
We did a lot of lunch play dates too with two girls that she would play with at preschool. It took a few play dates before she started talking to them and then only if she thought that I or the other mothers were not looking.
By the end of preschool she had started talking to some of the other kids and to her two teachers. She was also able to complete the Kindergarten screening at the end of summer with no problems. Her teacher and I both decided that since she was doing so well, we would not pull her out of class once a week as stated in the IEP unless she started reverting back to not talking. We never had to use the IEP. By the end of the school year she was reading books in front of the class. She even was able to say a couple lines in front of a gym full of people during the end of year program.
Even though she did so well in school, she still struggled with talking to other family members even the ones she saw on a regular basis such as my mom and my aunt and uncle. Oddly she never had problems talking with my DH's parents and sister even though she did not see them often since they live two hours away.
Dd is now 9. She has come a long way but is still very shy with people she doesn't know. She used to stiffen up and look scared when someone would talk to her but she doesn't do that anymore. Now she will answer strangers very quietly and will not look directly at them. A friend of mine owns a store. Dd loves to go work there and ring up the customers' purchases. The more she is put in situations with having to communicate with strangers, the better she responds.
My son is friends with a boy who had it till about 4th grade. I am not sure he got any treatment. It would have made his life easier if he had. He could talk to the kids in his class but not to adults. Very sweet kid but it was hard on him. I don't know what the tx is but I have a friend who is a counselor and I am sure someone like her could help.
Good Luck!
My daughter has SM. She was diagnosed at age 4 after she went the entire school year not speaking to anyone at school. She is 5 now and in 5K. She still does not speak with anyone at school. She also cannot eat at school in the lunchroom, so she eats small amounts of her lunch at snack time. She was not able to use the bathroom there, but now can, because they let her use the private staff bathroom.
She see's a therapist who specializes in SM and is now getting to the point where she will whisper answers to his questions into my ear, while he can kind of hear. He responds to her answer as if she said it out loud to him.
She does not speak with any of her friends, any of her grandparents, any of her aunts or uncles. She only speaks with her immediate family (us in the house).
She now will make eye contact with people she knows well and will sometimes shake her head yes or no to their questions.
I am working on getting her an IEP or a 504 through the school so that she can meet her learning goals and continue to get accommodations. Her therapist is available if her teachers have questions.
The more she is around someone the more receptive she is towards them. Thus, playdates, groups and extra curriculars have been helpful. Ballet was not a good choice for her. I think all the mirrors really brought out the fact she was in a big room full of people looking at her. She would spend the session rolled in a ball on the floor. Gymnastics has been great though. For some reason she is thriving doing that.
Feel free to send me a message if you have any specific questions.
There is a Facebook group for parents of kids with SM. Lots of helpful info on there too.
