Seletive Mutism

I just found this blog post and was sad to read it. I had a little girl last year who was diagnosed with Selective Mutism after a long hard year of trying to figure out what was going on. Shortly after the year began I know that this little girl was more then just shy. I had another little girl in the class that was shy but I was able to get her to warm up to me and talk and so were other people. Yes she got scared and hide behind me or her mom. Yes she was clingy when new situations arose but with some encouragement she would eventually jump right in. This other little girl was not this way. I felt like crying any time I thought of how this little girl acted in class, in library, in small groups, etc. Everything you asked her to do was like pulling teeth to get her to do it. She shied away from doing lots of things including just her work in class. As a team we worked hard to find things to help her. I tried so many different things and didn't put pressure on her, encouraged others that were shy to invite her into play with them, etc. Gradually we broke into her shell and helped her feel more confident at school. I know she made so much progress and I am nervous about her for next year with so many new changes but I have confidence in just reading this blog in knowing that with everyone working together things will be okay in the end. I am so glad I looked at the signs different then this other girl's teachers and got this girl the help she needed at a young age so she can be given the tools to help her through her school experience. Make sure you aren't labeling things as "shy" or "timid" if it is on the extreme side. Look into things and make sure it is what it is and not something you could help them with.