Rhinebeck Child and Family Center, LLC- Guidelines for Classroon Teachers Regarding Selective Mutism

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Guidelines for Classroom Teachers Regarding Selective Mutism

by David A. Crenshaw, Ph.D., ABPP, RPT-S

In a quiet, comfortable, and private setting (even better in a playful context like down on the floor with the child in the play corner) explain to the child that some children find it frightening when they first speak at school. Empathize with that fear—“It can be a little scary at first when you speak in school—but you will be able to do so when you are ready and it will get easier each time you do.”

Ask the child when they think they will be ready to speak in school—ask the child to write down the day of the week when they think they will speak: Monday? Tuesday? Wed.? Thurs? Friday? Also ask her/him whether they think it will be a sunny day or a cloudy day when she/he will speak. Finally, ask her/him when she/he speaks will it happen in the morning or afternoon. These questions firmly establish the expectation that the child will speak—it is a matter of when not if the child will speak.

Consider classroom seating arrangements that facilitate peer interactions and conversation. In addition to circle time on the floor and round table seating arrangements—it may be possible to seat next to the child with selective mutism, a child that she/he talks to outside of school, a regular playmate of the child.

Cultivate an individual relationship with the child by asking the child if she/he would remain behind a few minutes to help the teacher with some kind of errand, collecting or arranging things in the classroom.

Consider inviting the parents or an older sibling to come into the classroom to initiate conversation in a quiet area to “practice reading” or “to do math problems” as a way of desensitizing the child to speaking in the classroom.

Avoid at all costs putting the child “on the spot” where there is a demand for the child to speak. This almost never works out.

Also do not allow other students to pressure the child to speak.

The emphasis rather should be on creating relaxed, playful, comfortable, interpersonal contexts that makes it simply natural for the child to speak.

Should the child speak try not to react in a way that puts the spotlight on the child. The least attention paid the better because if a lot of attention is focused on the child speaking, it will almost always cause them to shut-down.

Redirect the other children if they make a big deal about the child speaking. The teacher can simply say, “We always knew that _________ would speak when she/he was ready. Not let’s get back to spelling.”