All About Selective Mutism

[aqualuna]

hi all


my dd2 is turning 3 this sept and is now attending playgroup since Jan this year.
teacher said she is a quiet girl and usually just nod or shake head and she do not talked to other children. When she need the toilet, she also do not speak up.
Recently, she cried in class but when teacher asked her wanting to know what has happened, my dd2 did not answer the teacher too. When we are at home, then she tell us that her friend pushed her.

I chanced upon this and wonder if I should have her assessed now? Appreciate any advise or contacts for help.

[yeo88]

Dear aqualuna,

I was also very concerned about my boy and the school principal advised it was too early to tell, especially since our kids have just started preschool. It would take time for them to adjust to school and environment. Also, i was explained that they are very self centered at this age and dont feel the need to talk to their friends. Hence, a better gage would be at the end of school year. Please talk to teacher and school Principal about your worries.

[mummyJune]

my 3yr old boy has selective mutism. How to get him treated?


i read online that there are not much cases of selective mutism in singapore. is there doc at kkh that my son can see? previously we thought he has speech delay & currently he is attending speech therapy at HPB after referal by kkh doc. only recently i was told by another speech therapist my son has selective mutism.

He will scream very loudly. Now he attending N1 fullday childcare, but what saddens me is (due to no choice), his teacher has to separate my son from his classmates because whoever is near my son, he will scream loudly. my hubby has taken a video of how my son every morning at school is & after i saw my son being alone at a corner made me cry. His teacher i talked to said morning time she has to separate my son, but after awhile she will bring him to mix with his classmates but if he screams nonstop, she will ve to separate him,which means my son eats alone, plays alone, totally no interaction with other kids.

If there are any parents with similar cases, pls help me, what can i do to help my son. Thank u. :?:

[ammonite]

mummyJune,

there is an older thread on this. Maybe you can ask some of the mummies in that thread?

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=23015

[Pure Purple]

Dear MummyJune


The two agencies that have experience with children with selective mutism would be KKH Department of Child Development (KKH DCD) and IMH Child Guidance Clinic. You mentioned that you were referred by a KKH doctor, so I think you are already with KKH DCD, but just in case it was another doctor in another department, i thought I’ll highlight this so you get to the correct department. It’s also good that he is seeing the speech and language therapist, so just press on with that. You may need some time to see results.

As your child is rather young, the diagnosis might not yet be certain. But it will be good to keep with plenty of language opportunities for him, even if he is not speaking let him be immersed with a language-rich environment. In addition to the speech and language therpaist, it will be good to have either a developmental paediatrician (KKH DCD doctor) or a child psychiatrist (IMH CGC doctor) attend to him, just to note if he has additional learning or support needs, such as an early intervention programme.

As selective mutism is associated with anxiety, the key is to allow your boy to develop familarity and a sense of security with the people around him, and not to pressurize him to speak as this may further heighten his anxiety.

Consider bringing him to the neighbourhood playground regularly where there are other children and adults to mingle with. It will be ideal if over time, these people become more familiar with him and vice versa. Play is the best way children learn. You may have to review the N1 class, sounds like he is acting out with the screaming. Some young children may find the hours too long, or the noise level too high, etc. You’ll need to work with the school to find the triggers for the screams. Or perhaps, this is something new and he has yet to be familar with the environment, both physical and social. Supportive and nurturing caregivers at the preschool/childcare is important.

Most individuals with selective mutism outgrow this condition at various points in thier life. School principals and teachers are also familiar with this condition and parents, children and their schools can work together to overcome difficulties associated with selective mutism.

Hope this helps. All the best.

Regards

[pingsped]

http://www.quietroom.com.sg/


Dr Daniel Fung

[not on facebook]

Not sure if this thread is still active… I pasted my comment on the Autism page but this thread seems to be quite close to the issues im facing… appreciate any help I can get on this topic.


Need some advice. My son’s going to Pri 1 next year, and his therapist says I need to work on some issues with him. He’s diagnosed with Aspergers. The most pressing issue now is that he won’t open his mouth to ask for help, or to ask to go toilet etc during class. His kindy is only 3 hrs long so he will go toilet at home before class, and when he comes home after class - but primary school is gonna be a lot longer and I’m sure he won’t be able to hold it in. I’ve tried speaking to him about it, and he promises me that he will ask the teacher for permission when he needs to go… but so far he hasnt. In fact he has wet his pants twice during therapy because he refused to ask to go toilet. Same thing about refusing to ask for help… he’ll dawdle over the work until his teacher/therapist notices and comes over to help. Was wondering if anyone has any ideas how I can help him along? Thank you!

[pingsped]

I guess you could try this


A) when therapist notices signs eg squirming in seat, use a nonverbal prompt eg pointing to pix / written words

B) get child to ask for toilet break at a fixed time eg 1 hr after therapy starts (desensitization / reduce anxiety at speaking up ) it may help to guzzle more water before therapy

C) functional behv analysis
Problems : getting teacher’s attention, fear of speaking up, inability to speak from a distance/unable to project voice, Sensory - affected by classroom noise etc,

Children with sensory issues may need to hold something to ‘distract’ Or ease anxiety





C)

[not on facebook]

pingsped:

I guess you could try this


A) when therapist notices signs eg squirming in seat, use a nonverbal prompt eg pointing to pix / written words

B) get child to ask for toilet break at a fixed time eg 1 hr after therapy starts (desensitization / reduce anxiety at speaking up ) it may help to guzzle more water before therapy

C) functional behv analysis
Problems : getting teacher's attention, fear of speaking up, inability to speak from a distance/unable to project voice, Sensory - affected by classroom noise etc,

Children with sensory issues may need to hold something to 'distract' Or ease anxiety





C)

Thanks.. the problem is he wont even ask to go.. any ideas how to start getting him to start asking?

[Gifts from Heaven]

hi not on facebook,

did u teach your child the words to use when asking for help or when need to go to the toilet? does he kn who he can approach for help? maybe he is lost for words on how to request for help. my aspie boy will sometimes act up when he doesnt kn wat/how to say.
does your child have problem asking for help or saying he needs to go toilet at home?
is ur therapist working on social skills or speech with him? if so, u can ask the therapist to train him on this aspect of requestg for help.