Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety or phobia used to describe children and young people who are able to talk comfortably in certain situations, but are silent or unable to talk freely in other situations. With the right support from home and school, many children and young people with SM can work through it.
What can I do to help my child?
The first step for supporting a child or young person with SM is to ensure they have a supportive communication environment at home and in their educational setting. This means making sure that we reduce pressure on the child or young person whilst at the same time providing them the opportunity to participate. For many children or young people, this will reduce anxiety around their talking and support their speaking in different environments. Some children and young people may subsequently need a structured programme to support their spoken language.
The Kent children’s speech and language therapy service offers free comprehensive online training sessions that are open to everyone. Training will give you an understanding of what causes a child or young person to withdraw from communication or become silent in certain situations (selective mutism) and help you provide appropriate support.
Setting staff and parents/carers are encouraged to access the Kent’s Speech and Language Therapy Service’s online webinars 1 and 2. Sessions can be accessed at your own pace and as many times as you like. We advise downloading and saving or printing off the accompanying handout packs in advance. Setting staff can alternatively attend the ‘Introduction to selective mutism’ training offered by our team.
Top tips for support a child or young person with selective mutism
- Remove pressure to talk
- Focus on using comments rather than asking questions
- Accept all forms of communication, for example, non-verbal communication including pointing, nodding, gestures, writing, drawing and communication cards
- Give the child time to respond in their own way.
- Build relationships before expecting speech
- Praise effort, not talking
- Prepare the child or young person for new situations
- Focus on the child or young person's strengths
