Comments on: I’m a Believer: or thinking positively about children with selective mutism. With help from The Monkees, Little Richard, Jayne Mansfield and Eva Cassidy /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/ Supporting children's language, communication and learning Tue, 03 Mar 2015 07:50:13 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3 By: Michael Jones /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-8036 Tue, 03 Mar 2015 07:50:13 +0000 /?p=787#comment-8036 Hello Cyndi
Thank you for contacting me. I’m sure that a child with a ‘primary’ disability could also have selective mutism. However, autism is a disability where anxiety about talking is one of the main difficulties. I always avoid describing a child with autism as having SM. There is a practical reason for doing this. These days many teachers and professionals feel confident that they understand ASD and can relax and apply approaches that are helpful. However, as soon as you suggest a child with ASD had mutism, everybody panics and tries to seek specialists in that filed.

Having said that, I recommend the book I wrote with Maggie Johnson, called ‘Supporting Quiet Children’. Not because I wrote it, but because it is written specifically as a first port of call for teachers like yourself who want to explore why children are quiet. It has 40 practical ideas that you can use straight away.
hope that is helpful, and please email me on talk4meaning@gmail.com if you want to continue the conversation.
Good luck!
Michael

]]> By: Cyndi Crosby-Morell /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-8035 Tue, 03 Mar 2015 04:48:05 +0000 /?p=787#comment-8035 I’m currently working with a 6 year old student who is on the Autism Spectrum. His aptitude, receptive, and expressive language skills are all within the 50’s range. He is essentially mute at school but speaks at home (as documented on video). I suspect Selective Mutism coexists with Autism. It is difficult to locate a psychologist who would be trained in treating a child with these complications. Any suggestions on treatment.

]]> By: Michael Jones /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-7849 Tue, 10 Dec 2013 19:45:17 +0000 /?p=787#comment-7849 Thank you Clare
I think that teachers are more aware of SM, however silent children are still seen as being ‘controlling and manipulative’ which is the exact opposite of how they are. Their desire to please adults leaves them frozen in the fear that they will make a ‘mistake’ by saying or doing the ‘wrong’ thing.

I hope you are doing OK now
Very best wishes
Michael
PS many of my posts are written to increase awareness of how best to help quiet children.

]]> By: Clare /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-7848 Tue, 10 Dec 2013 01:38:14 +0000 /?p=787#comment-7848 Love your blog. Having experienced SM for around 10 years (possibly longer) during my childhood, it is good to know this is something people now talk about (or not!!) It wasn’t something anyone had heard of when I was growing up and, like Molly, I had some very negative responses from adults. In fact, I only discovered the name for it a few years ago when introduced to a child with SM. Great work! Hope it leads to some understanding.

]]> By: Michael Jones /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-7800 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:35:24 +0000 /?p=787#comment-7800 Hi Tim
That is a very big question, which I shall take my time to answer!
Michael

]]> By: Trevor /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-7799 Mon, 14 Oct 2013 15:15:15 +0000 /?p=787#comment-7799 Informative and entertaining, as always.
Good to see an ‘ole Neil Diamond song resurfacing too.

]]> By: Tim Dunkerley /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-7798 Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:39:49 +0000 /?p=787#comment-7798 As always rivetting funny and substantial. Simple question: I have a boy who is a selective mute in my (SLD)year 11 class. Currently recording short responses on various voice recorders and playing them back to us.
Fluent at home. The SALT has just told me he has a diagnosos of ASC and that makes him not a selective mute.
Intuitively I’m saying he’s someone who may or may not feature on the ASC spectrum AND currently a selective mute.
All label talk I know but am I right? You can be someone with autism AND be a selective mute?
Tim

]]> By: Michael Jones /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-7797 Sat, 12 Oct 2013 20:40:33 +0000 /?p=787#comment-7797 Thank you Angela. You are very kind. Next week’s post is taking shape in my mind, so I can’t promise it will fit in with your staff meeting, but maybe you could make a suggestion?!
Best wishes
Michael
I’m glad you like the music!

]]> By: Angela Blundell /2013/10/im-a-believer-or-thinking-positively-about-children-with-selective-mutism-with-help-from-the-monkees-little-richard-jayne-mansfield-and-eva-cassidy/#comment-7796 Sat, 12 Oct 2013 20:35:18 +0000 /?p=787#comment-7796 Each week you somehow manage to address the very question we have been talking about in our staff meetings
Thank you and thank you for the great music

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