The following are some history posts on our struggle:
One post here.
Another post
On medications
Success
Selective mutism is very debilitating yet some don't believe that it is a real thing. Many people think that the child is just being willful. However, I have seen my child hide behind posts to avoid people. I have seen the tears, the struggle. I know that if she could have talked she gladly would have done so. To have a therapist suggest that we punish her for not speaking was so wrong and showed their ignorance. I told people what we were dealing with and they couldn't bother to do a simple web search.
Every now and then I bring it back up because I truly believe that anxiety medication got her talking. I have read that if you wait too long it won't be as effective because not speaking can become a habit. Larissa was 5 when she started on anxiety medication, the summer before starting kindergarten.
If you have a child who will not talk to anyone outside of their circle then do look at selective mutism. You are not alone. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
When Larissa was younger she was able to dance in front of an audience. She couldn't talk but she could dance.
Today she not only talks but sings. This last weekend she had her recital. She seemed so grown up.
She is new to singing and trying to determine her style.
If anyone wants to suggest any songs please do so.
I love how she used her sisters' names in the song. Great job, Larissa!
ReplyDeleteI know you've had her since she was a baby right? Was she delayed talking? Did she talk and then refuse to say the words again? Did she talk around you and not around other people early on? I ask because our SLP is wondering why our 2.5 year old seems to clearly say words, then stop talking again like she never learned to speak. Then she'll just randomly start saying the word again, usually just in front of me or my husband.
ReplyDeleteWe welcomed Larissa to our home when she was a few months old. We had to deal with a lot of attachment issues so we weren't as concerned about her speech. It took a while for us to realize that there was a problem. Her speech at home was a little delayed but not so much that we were deeply concerned. She was not consistent in talking at home but for the most part she did talk. At one point we realized that she never spoke to anyone out of the home. She never said a word to her social worker, family during visitation or anyone else she came into contact with. We took her to a therapist but she never said a word to us. This therapist claimed to work with kids with SM yet she told us to punish and then refused to see her anymore. Months turned into years and then we realized that there was a problem. She would talk at home to everyone in our home. Once she was talking well she didn't regress at home.
DeleteThis seems so strange but I've been following you for a while, I always forget you guys live close by (I didn't know it at first) but I know Chris Kelly. She is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a small world! Larissa loves working with Chris.
DeleteI don't know the answer to that question at all, but I had to stop in to say WOW! She did amazing! And also, what a beautiful young lady she's growing into! I've been reading for quite some time now (did we connect through BlogFrog?) and she's really growing up!
ReplyDeleteI don't know the answer to that question at all, but I had to stop in to say WOW! She did amazing! And also, what a beautiful young lady she's growing into! I've been reading for quite some time now (did we connect through BlogFrog?) and she's really growing up!
ReplyDeleteThis post hit so close to home. I have also had selective mutism for as long as I can remember and I also self-diagnosed it. I didn't talk AT ALL at school until about 6th grade. Then, I was forced to open up and I was a nervous wreck every second that I was at school. I'm doing better now, sm still gets the best of me sometimes. I recently wrote an amazon ebook about my experiences growing up with selective mutism and it really helped me put all of that behind me. I'm so glad she was able to get past it as well!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7QBBMO
Such a beautiful voice!! And she looks so grown up in her fancy dress!!
ReplyDelete