There is a new model of confident talking, which is both holistic and wide-ranging and capitalises on day-to-day activities as opportunities for increased participation and communication, with family and key people playing a pivotal role in the intervention process. Offers a user-friendly “Information for Parents” section: http://www.selectivemutism.org.uk/information/information-for-parents/

So, if succeeding in a withdrawal room with the keyworker, the next step should be to either repeat the same activity in the classroom with no-one else present, or to repeat the activity in the withdrawal room with an extra child or adult of the child’s choosing. Or if the child talks to a teacher at home, they could try the same thing at school in an empty classroom with a parent present. Repeating the activity without the parent is a separate step. Activities like parcels, statues, sliding and swinging developed trust. Musical instruments and puppets (especially squeaky puppets) allowed the children to be legitimately noisy, something they do not normally have a chance to do in the classroom.

Advance preparation for class discussions; present questions to the student the day before or earlier in the day. If the student is unable to respond, move on rather than waiting for the student to answer. Full details of target-setting are set out in ‘The Selective Mutism Resource Manual’ (SMRM)*2. Common practices that prevent or hinder progress

With appropriate support the older student with SM can My name is Ben and I don’t talk sometimes is a story about a child’s experience of selective mutism, in his words. Ben takes us on a journey of how he feels across situations – at his birthday party, with people he’s unable to talk to, on playdates and at school. Through the story, we also learn that Ben’s best friend has a fear of swimming and by taking small steps he works to overcome this. Ben shares, in a child-friendly way, his feelings around talking and interwoven into the story is the intervention of how he begins to make steps forward. Advance notice for large projects; help break projects into smaller chunks to avoid overwhelming the student.

Leaflets from the Selective Mutism Resource Manual (2nd Edition)

As soon as possible, get a list of the new class and arrange play dates often with children of your child’s choice. This way your child will enter the new classroom in September knowing there will be a friend or two there with him.