Last year was the first time in my 15+ year teaching career that I have come into contact with a child suffering from Selective Mutism.

It was a year of high level learning for me, and a period where I had to change or alter my way of thinking on some issues.
Because I am in a situation where I have been able to continue with my contact with the child and her family, I am still learning.

To the casual observer, a child suffering from SM seems shy.
We as teachers we are used to children that have difficulty separating from their parents and feeling comfortable in a new environment. We are used to children that are shy.
As teachers, we are also used to being able to "fix" many things. The child who is distressed when mum or dad leaves can usually be settled quite quickly with a little TLC and a hurried diversion! Usually, by the time the Parent (who is now quite distressed!) reaches the front gate, their child is playing happily with an activity. The shy child, after a week or two, when they get to know staff and the routine a little better, usually open up.

The difference with an SM sufferer is that he/she will probably not make a big fuss when mum or dad leaves - that would only bring more attention upon him/her, which is to be avoided at all costs.
Nor do they "come around" like the shy child. A child suffering from SM is quite simply UNABLE to talk to their teacher.
They may want to. They may yearn to. But they CANNOT. Teachers are used to success - we celebrate each and every achievement that a child in our care makes.
It would be easy to fall into the trap of trying desperately to get the child to speak at any cost. Doing this may in fact undo months or even years of hard work by the child and his/her family.

There are certain problems that I experienced in my first year of teaching an SM child.
Once, we were all outside having a treasure hunt for some chocolate Easter eggs. So that there would be enough eggs for everyone, I directed the children to sit in a certain area when they had found two eggs.
Unbeknownst to me, Kate sat on a green ants’ nest. While most children would have jumped up screaming, she did not.
She sat there and endured many painful bites. Luckily, her mum noticed that all was not right, and moved her. She had many bites, but had not complained once.

Another time on an excursion my Kate fell over. She was assisted by a parent supervisor, and I was unaware she had fallen.
It was only when we were sitting down at morning tea that I saw the blood running down her leg, and was able to administer first aid.
From these two instances I learnt a lot. Firstly I always tried to give Kate the power to not do something, even if I had given an instruction.
I explained to her many times that I did not expect her to carry out my instructions if these instructions were hurting her in any way.
I also now knew that I had to brief any Parent Supervisors to report ANY incident regarding Kate, no matter how minor it may seem, to me immediately.
That then gave me the opportunity to assess the situation and make sure that Kate was OK. I also tried to give her non-verbal ways of communicating with me.
I told her that if she was hurt, or wanted something, to just touch me. She didn’t have to speak. I would try and work it out.

Kate was always very compliant in the classroom, and would have a turn at any game etc.
I think she appreciated the fact that I was never going to make her talk, and when the game required some verbal response I would give Kate a little time to make the response, and then I would make the appropriate utterance.
I also have to point out that Kate found it much easier to interact with children, once she knew them. I found myself on many occasions trying to sidle up close to where Kate was interacting with some other children, just so I could hear her speak!
She always seemed to know when I was there, and would clam up immediately!

Another time I remember quite vividly is when sending each child off to the bathroom, I asked them what they’d had for breakfast that morning.
There were about four or five children left on the carpet when it was Kate’s turn.
I asked her what she had had for breakfast. For the first time ever, she answered me! It was very quiet, so quiet in fact that I couldn’t quite make out what she’d actually had.
Now it was time for me to exercise some self-restraint - it was important not to make a big deal out of Kate responding to a question. To do so could upset her quite deeply, and even make her more anxious about talking at Pre-School.
I quite calmly said something along the lines of "That sounds delicious. Thank you, Kate. Off you go to the bathroom now." I couldn’t wait for the other children to be settled with their morning tea, so that I could very excitedly phone Kate’s mum and let her know.

At first I looked upon this incident as "The Breakthrough", but this was not the case.
Kate was still unable to talk to any adults at Pre-School. It would have been easy to get disheartened, and wonder what I was doing wrong.
I was lucky in that I was able to develop a relationship with Kate’s family. They made sure I did not take Kate’s inability to talk to me personally. Quite the opposite in fact - they were quick to reassure me that Kate did like Pre-School, Michell, the Teacher Aide and myself.
Kate told them that she liked us, and this was helpful to us, as it made us feel as if we were working in the right direction.
Kate often did little drawings and things, but was unable to give them to me herself. I have spoken to her briefly on the phone, and she spoke on a video that her family filmed at home.

I still have quite a bit of contact with Kate, even though she now attends Primary School.
I have two daughters, and they have enjoyed interacting with Kate, and Kate with them.
I picked Kate up for school recently, and she spoke quite animatedly to my girls, with me sitting in the driver’s seat, pretending not to notice.
I was very happy about this, as there is no way Kate would have spoken when I was within hearing distance, even as recently as a week ago.

Kate seems to be enjoying Primary school. She has a lovely, gentle teacher who is eager to help Kate in whatever way she can.
Kate seems to sense this, and already feels comfortable in Rebecca’s class. Of course, there have been hurdles - like when Rebecca was away ill, but Kate has coped remarkably well.

I feel the important things to remember if you have a child in your class who suffers from Selective Mutism are:

Be guided by the parents. It is very difficult to realise the depths that SM impacts on a family!

Be calm, be patient! Progress is progress, no matter how slow!

Always give the SM child the opportunity to make a response, just as you would any other child.
If no response is forthcoming, either rephrase what you have just asked so that a non-verbal response such as a nod or shake of the head is possible, or just move on. Do not comment on the fact that the child "is not talking today".

NEVER try and force an SM child to talk.

With a little planning, a child who suffers from SM can still make choices about their learning.
A good method is to quickly list the choices: "You can choose to do A, B, or C"
Then go back over the choices so that the child can give you a non-verbal response. "Would you like to do A?" (check response) "Would you like to do B?" (check response), etc.

Be supportive of the child. Once you have their trust, do everything in your power not to abuse this trust.

Be open-minded. Much of the information in books, etc and provided by some Medical Practitioners is very out of date. Look around for the latest information.

Remember, like all other children, SM children are all different too. What suits one child may not suit another - so be flexible!