Situational Mutism/Situational Speaking
| SKILL | WHAT TO DO FIRST Identifying and supporting need | ASKING FOR HELP Starting Assess, Plan, Do, Review | WHEN MORE HELP IS NEEDED Targeted support |
| Situational mutism/situational speaking Speaking fluently in some situations but remaining silent in others | Whole School Staff have an awareness of situational mutism and understand it is an anxiety-based need. Key staff have access to information about how to support children with situational mutism from online resources including: SMiRA website. Home | Situational Mutism Association Do’s & Don’ts at Secondary School – SMIRA Do’s & Don’ts at Pre and Primary School – SMIRA School transition Plan – SMIRA Supporting friendships – SMIRA School staff to ensure all forms of communication are accepted, including: Pen/paper Whiteboard (if strong writing skills) Communication boards – Visuals Downloadable Pack Use of body language; nodding/shaking head, thumbs up/thumbs down, pointing. As SM is an anxiety based need, please refer to SEMH strategies for strategies to support managing anxiety. Classroom Establish a communication friendly environment for children/young people with situational mutism Engage through physical activity and creative projects. Support friendships with other children. Encourage them to sit, work or play with friends they talk to in other settings. Organise activities in which children move, sing or talk in unison and activities/games which do not require speech. Encouraging participation through ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’. Providing traffic lights or ‘ask for help’ cards to allow them to access support non-verbally. Individual Pupil Providing unpressured opportunities for the child to speak. Don’t react if the child does speak. If the child whispers or uses gesture, talk back in a natural way. Use commentary style questions and comments. Avoid direct questions. Talk to the child about what you are doing, without expecting an answer. Identifying a key adult for the child to build rapport and confidence with. Find time at school for periods of unpressured 1:1 time. Encourage independence and ensure success. Rather than doing things for the child, do things with them initially and then withdraw, or make things easier. Carefully support the child’s transition between year groups. | Referral to ISCAN Speech and Language therapyChildren’s Speech and Language Therapy :: Tameside Children and Young People. Speech and language therapists will assess receptive language and provide support in this area if required. A language sample from home may also be requested to observe the child’s spoken language skills. If receptive language skills fall within typical limits, the pupil will be referred to CAMHS for support with Situational Mutism. If they fall below typical limits, targets will be set to support this and a referral can also be made to CAMHS. For support in developing a step by step plan refer to Educational Psychology Education Psychology Service – Information for Parents – Tameside MBC As SM is an anxiety based need please refer to SEMH strategies for strategies to support managing anxiety. | Join the Greater Manchester Situational Mutism Network. Use of the ‘Sliding in Technique’ detailed in The Situational Mutism Resource and included on the SMiRA website: http://www.situationalmutism.org.uk/info-the-sliding-in-technique-and-progress-charts/. The steps can be accomplished either in a single session or over 2–3 weeks. This involves an adult (parent or staff member) as the child’s talk partner. Activities are completed on a regular basis within the child’s talk partner in a safe and quiet area of the setting. The activity should be simple and involve something that the child enjoys and is familiar with (e.g. a favourite game or book from home). As the child becomes confident, their tolerance to another person gradually coming closer and joining the activity (‘sliding in’) is increased. For support in developing a step by step plan refer to Educational Psychology Education Psychology Service – Information for Parents – Tameside MBC As SM is an anxiety based need please refer to SEMH strategies for strategies to support managing anxiety. |
