Select Mutism (support group, therapy, ears, negative)

[2beamissourian]

Has anyone ever heard of this or dealt with it?

I have found some topics online .....

but very general to the point.

[karen_s]

Yes, a family member's daughter has selective mutism. They have worked with her since she was of preschool age. She has used counseling along with play therapy for the anxiety issues, and also used medication at times. She is doing well in school and is speaking more in the school setting.

What kinds of information are you looking for?

[2beamissourian]

my grandson is 3 .. he stoped talking to most of us .. he will talk to mom and his brother when he feels like it but not all the time

he looks very sad .. distant in the face

He will make car noises and play side by side with friends just not talk to them

Is there a online forum / support group that anyone knows of?

I pulled up some articles yesterday ---- and read them and printed for my daughter in law ..........
a Therapist is coming on Thursday and we have contacted a mental health consultant for children. now its waiting ...

I am wondering with these children does something trigger the non verbal talking?
My gs went to prek had a bad experience - We both observed the class and the teacher was negative and hateful .. he was pulled from the class at that time he had stopped eating ........

He will sign to ppl but wont talk .. I seen note cards where kids write notes to teachers etc ..why do they not teach them to sign?

[Mammaof2girls]

Hi there. I was looking through some old posts, and wanted to respond to this one. Sorry I'm popping in here so late. I see you only got one response and if you still have any questions, please ask me. I know you wrote your post 7 mos. ago, so not sure what has transpired since. I am here if you have any questions, etc.

My 6 yr. old has mild to moderate SM. And just last year, I found out that this is what I had....almost 30 years ago! I actually found out "by accident" , and it described me to a "T" when I was younger. I even wrote a memoir about it and how it affected me when I was a child. Everyone thought I was just really shy. But SM is more than that. Yes, it's a type of anxiety (my daughter also has tourette syndrome too on top of that).

Please post back if you're still here or are wanting more info or have questions. If interested, I can let you know of an online support group that is very helpful.

Based on my research....no, nothing in particular triggers the non-speaking. Years ago they use to believe that abuse was the culprit, now that more research has been done...they are finding that that is not the case at all. I can also give you the name of a book that I am reading as well.

Currently my DD is not on any meds at the moment. She is the exception to SM, because with her she is more scared to talk to her peers than adults. Normally it's the other way around. Or in very severe cases (such as myself), I couldn't talk to adults or peers (my family, yes, I would talk).

Anyway......just wanted to let you know that I think it's wonderful of you to try to find out more about SM. It's really not fun and can be so debilitating to the child....especially if they do not get any type of help. My DD is in a social skills group once per week, and I am in the process of getting her to see a psycologist so she can learn to handle her anxiety, etc.

Good luck!