Selective Mutism School Challenge - Greeting the Teacher

 

 

• Who: Amy, classmates, teacher
• Location: Outside of the school building
• Environment: Busy, people are moving around and talking
• Worry Level: 3
• Purpose: Have Amy prepare to say hello to the teacher when she enters the building, or have her copy others
• What is happening: Amy walks into and out of school with her whisper buddy. A teacher is greeting students at the door, saying hello to everyone.

Strategy and Scene

• Get off the bus and greet the teacher
• Teacher should not directly address Amy first, but should say hello to other students first

Friend:

• Get off the bus with Amy and walk with her to the classroom,
• Talk to Amy in the hallway

Teacher:

“Amy, that’s a beautiful dress! Did you pick it out yourself?”

“Amy, can you count the number of students absent from class today?”

“Amy, can you help me pass out these papers?”

• Rehearse the greeting with the whisper buddy. Amy can repeat after her friend and say good morning。 If Amy is not able to repeat the friend’s greeting, she can wave or smile at the teacher.

Before getting on the bus and while on the bus, Amy can practice greetings with her whisper buddy.

• Whisper Buddy: Good Morning!
• Amy: Good Morning.
• Mrs.A: Good Morning, Amy!
• Amy: Good Morning.

Repetition 

• Say good morning to Amy (and other students) every morning so Amy expects a greeting every morning. This will allow her to prepare a greeting in advance and increases the chances of her speaking.

After getting off the morning school bus, Amy stayed close to her whisper buddy Catherine, and they moved along with other students to get to the school doors. Every day, a new teacher was at the door to greet the students. The first challenge was the bus ride, and greeting the teacher at the door was another challenge Amy had to face each day. Amy had established a system for herself that was hard for her to violate: No Looking, No Interacting, No Speaking; to quickly escape was her go-to instinct. “Hello, Tom! Good Morning, Sam!” The teacher said hello to all the students one by one. Initially, Amy felt a bit uneasy and nervous while waiting in line.  Catherine kept on chatting with Amy, which eased her nerves.  When they came up to the teacher, Catherine waved to the teacher first. “Good morning!” “Good morning, Catherine!” The teacher said.  Amy, though still a bit nervous, repeated the greeting following her friend, as they had rehearsed on the bus.  The teacher looked at Amy and smiled. “Good morning, Amy! Wow, Amy, that’s a beautiful dress! Did you pick it out yourself?” Amy felt bashful, but the teacher seemed very friendly and she managed to speak: “Thank you! Yes, I picked it out myself.” Amy and Catherine proceeded into the classroom.

Strategy: The teacher should not directly address Amy first, but should say hello to other students first. Rehearse the greeting with the whisper buddy, whom Amy can repeat after. If Amy is not able to repeat the friend’s greeting, she can wave or smile at the teacher.  Teachers can also use repetition and say good morning to Amy (and other students) every morning so Amy expects a greeting every morning. This will allow her to prepare a greeting in advance and increases the chances of her speaking.  

作者俊華,艾米媽 。 如有需要，加微信：junwang08837，艾米媽邀你進 “選擇性緘默症家長分享群”。

選擇性緘默症包括語言恐 Speech Phobia，感知障礙 Sensory Disorder, 社交恐懼 Social Anxiety 。 關鍵詞： 孩子為什麽不說話，孩子在外麵不說話，孩子不敢說話，和陌生人不說話，社交恐懼，孩子在幼兒園和學校不說話，害羞，敏感，膽子小，懦弱，怕生，內向，沒自信，固執，不敢吃飯，不敢去廁所，不敢和小朋友玩，，在家講話，出門不講話。隻和爸爸媽媽說話， 不敢參加集體活動。