- Who: Amy, teacher, talking buddies
- Location: Outside of school (Diner)
- Environment: At a table further from the rest of the tables (parents can be at a table further away)
- Worry Level: 2
- Purpose: Meeting with the teacher outside of school helps build a talking relationship quicker than in school
- What is Happening: Amy is at Clinton Diner and meeting her teacher outside of school. There are two other people that she doesn’t know. Amy said her teacher are sitting down eating food, enjoying themselves.
Strategy and Scene
- Private time with teacher
- Amy, talking buddies, and the teacher get together outside of school
- Having a smaller group of people is more comfortable for Amy
- Talking buddy: Amy, the talking buddies, and the teacher can talk together about school, things going on outside of school, or use humor.
- Create opportunities to talk: Amy is able to feel more comfortable with her teacher and may talk
- Ask Amy questions about school, summer vacation, etc.
- Example Places
- Diner
- Playground
- Ice cream
- Community event
- Shopping
- Radio station
- Walk (dog, track, park, neighborhood)
For kids with selective mutism, it is more effective to have one-on-one time with the teacher. However, it is not very easy to meet with the teacher outside of school. The parents should create opportunities to meet. The meeting pace can be at a restaurant, ice cream stores, community activities, playground, shopping place, park, or any place that they can walk together. They can also bring along a talking or whisper buddy.
One day, Amy’s mom and the special ed teacher made a dinner appointment at a diner in Clinton. The special ed teacher also brought her twin sons that were of similar age to Amy. Even though Amy’s talking and whisper buddies could not make it, Amy was still relaxed in front of a familiar teacher inside a familiar restaurant setting. The teacher purposely picked a table far from others. Amy’s mom sat in a separate table not too far away. Amy’s mom communicated with the teacher ahead of time on what kind of topics Amy would be more interested in and more likely to speak on. For example, their vacation plan, a newly purchased game, and of course, Amy’s favorite… “Hey Amy, do you have a dog?” the teacher asked. Amy shyly shook her head without saying a word. The words were right on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t let them out. After a moment of lowering her head, Amy asked for a piece of paper from her mom and started to draw. The teacher and her sons started to guess what Amy was drawing. “Amy has… a fat tiger! A pig! A mouse! A cat!” Amy couldn’t hold back, thinking, “I can’t be that bad at drawing!” She said quietly, “It’s a rabbit.” “Wow! You have a rabbit? Amy, you’re so lucky. What does your rabbit look like and how old is she?” the teacher asked. Amy could not help smiling when the topic was on her precious rabbit, and her eyes were shining with delight. Amy said reluctantly, “She’s white with black spots.” The kids were getting excited. The teacher looked at Amy with a smile. “Amy, how old is your rabbit again?” “Two,” Amy whispered, and blushed with both nervousness and excitement. “What do you do with her? Do you feed her?” the teacher continued to ask. Amy started to talk, “Sometimes I feed my rabbit. I enjoy feeding her snacks the most, as my rabbit loves snacks.” “That’s just like you!” Amy’s mom interjected from the other table. Everybody laughed.
Strategy: For activities outside of school, bring along the teacher and a couple of familiar friends. They can chat while playing together. The topic should be something Amy is interested in or familiar with. Ask Amy concrete questions to encourage her to speak. Pay attention to Amy’s actions and take opportunities to ease her nerves with humor. Once Amy starts to talk, ask more questions on the same topic to further the conversation. Don’t be surprised at how humorous Amy is and how good she could be at talking!
Jun Reitman and Ashely Jiao Wechat: junwang08837 smartamyus@yahoo.com SunnyMindEd.org
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