Health and Wellbeing
Selective Mutism: Recognising and Supporting
Understand why your child goes silent at nursery or school, and how to take the pressure off talking, one small step at a time.
- 57 minutes
- Recorded webinar
- Certificate
Members
Parent membership: all 50 courses for parents and carers, £40 a year or £4 a month after 14 days free.
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What you'll learn
- Tell the difference between shyness and selective mutism
- Know when to ask for a specialist assessment, and where to go
- Swap direct questions for comments and simple choices that ease the pressure
- Use sliding in so a new adult can join while your child keeps talking
- Agree the same small steps with your child's nursery or school
About this course
Your child chats away at home, then says nothing at all at nursery or school. People tell you they're shy, or that they'll grow out of it. If it has gone on for more than a month, and you see them tense up or freeze when someone expects an answer, it could be selective mutism. It's a form of anxiety, and in those moments your child can't speak, however much they want to.
A speech and language therapist who specialises in selective mutism explains what to look for and when to ask for an assessment. You'll learn which kinds of talk put a child under pressure and which don't: a passing comment or a choice between two things is far easier than a greeting. There's also 'sliding in', where a new adult joins bit by bit while your child keeps talking.
Recording
Open in order
- 42 min
Webinar Playback
- 16 min
Q&A