A child generally spends more than 50 percentage of the child’s day is spent in the school in a classroom setting. It is very important for them to be vocal in the classroom setting otherwise being mute becomes a part of their life and they get use to it. They also build negative feelings about school and slowly that may turn into unwillingness to go to school. Many Selective Mutism children struggle with their daily activities at school such as participate in group communication activities, request to go to the toilet, tell the teacher if they are unwell, ask questions to clarify or ask for help if injured or stuck. This impacts their ability to learn. Below are some strategies which the teachers can implement in a classroom –

1. Pair the child with a buddy: As a parent could suggest to the teacher to allow the child to sit next to a friend who she may be comfortable or vocal with. This reduce her anxiety and there is a higher probability that the child will communicate with the buddy. As parent you can always plan regular playdates with her buddy at home to help her feel more comfortable.
2. Initial Warm-up: Initial warm-up is the key to having a successful communicative day. The key is to arrive at school early before the other kids arrive giving the opportunity for the child to warm to the teacher on a one-on-one basis. You could also implement the “Fading technique” where the parents slowly moves out of the environment leaving the child communicating with the teacher. Due to covid I could not implement the fading technique with my child hence I used a different strategy. Refer to the section –How Can I Help My Child From Being Mute at School to Presenting to Their Class?
3. Working in small groups: A SM child feels less scared or anxious when in a smaller group. Once the child feels safe and comfortable she would be more likely to talk.
4. Accept non-verbal communication: If the child is not yet comfortable talking to the verbally you can accept the non-verbal communications and give the child encouragement for responding and participating in the class. You could accept the child’s gestures or hand signals such as pointing, shaking her head etc. Later you could encourage a verbal communication for eg. ‘I see you are shaking your head but I’m not sure if you want to go to the toilet.’ You may also allow the child to use communication cards some simple examples could be as – cards for expressing their feelings, ask for a pencil, go to the toilet etc. Ultimately, the goal is to make the child feel comfortable and eventually she will start communicating. Any effort of establishing communication should be praised and that will make the child feel more confident and valued.
5. Show and Tell: Once the child is ready the teacher can encourage the child to bring a show and tell to show to the class. I have explained what techniques and strategies I have use to help my daughter do a show and tell in the class successfully here.
6. Support from therapist: The child’s psychologist may visit the school and provide some support to the child to help establish communication in the classroom. Also, it is important for the teachers to have a session with the psychologist so that they understand what selective Mutism is and how to help your child. The psychologist may set some goals for the child and review them with the teachers and parents on a regular basis.
7. Parents support: If possible, invite parents for classroom activities this could help to bring down the child’s anxiety and help her communicate.
8. All staff aligned: Ensure all support staff, playground any extra curricular activities teachers or staff understand the condition of the child.
9. Provide opportunities to communicate: Give tasks to the child to provide opportunities for the child to speak. Such as – ‘Can you take John (new child) to visit the reading room ?’ or ‘Could you please help Peter (less able child) clear out the Lego blocks?’ Provide the child with opportunities to talk rather than expectations or commands to talk. Eg. ‘My favourite colour is blue. I wonder what John’s favourite color would would be.’
10. Encourage Relationships: Encourage the child to build relationships and friendships by setting up structured playtime or some games with her close friends.

All these strategies are only effective if the teacher and school or willing to support a SM child. Selective Mutism is not a very common anxiety disorder hence it is very important to provide the teachers with the proper knowledge for the strategies to be effective.

How Can Teachers Help with Selective Mutism?

A teacher plays a very vital role in a child’s life. The teacher can either break or build the child’s confidence. It is very important the teacher to ensure that the SM child is involved in the class activities which includes communication.

Teacher should encourage the child to speak and build a safe environment for the child be able to communicate. They can encourage communication in a relaxed environment without putting any pressure on the child to talk. They should also provide opportunities for the child to communicate so that the child can develop skills to respond. Eg. Accept and encourage attempts to communicate through actions or gestures or ask a forced ended question making it easier for the child to respond.

If the teacher asks a question, it is very important that she follows through and receives either a verbal or non-verbal response. We want the child to feel successful and build his confidence in communicating. If you feel the child is not ready to respond its best to move few steps back in the communication ladder and work with the child until you receive a response. You can refer to the section on – How to Build Conversation with a Selectively Mute Child? for more details on this.

Another way could be by using technology to communicate with the teacher. The teacher and record or write a funny or question based on the child’s interest and the child can either write or record his answer at home. Teacher asks a new question and the child sends her answer every day. Then slowly the teacher views the recording of the child together with the child. The child starts to answer the question maybe from another room and at the end the child and teacher sit face to face and the child is able to answer the teacher.

At the beginning of a school year, it is important the new teacher and the child meet in a comfortable setting like the child’s home, park or the zoo on a one-on-one basis. This would help the child feel comfortable with the teacher and would be much easier for the child to talk to the teacher.