A week intensive with a child with Selective Mutism

I have just finished a one week intensive with a child with selective mutism. Prior to this week, I had three sessions with this child.

Intensive simply means that I spend one week with a family.

Before the week we made a comprehensive plan of the specific goals for the child and what we would do each day. No guarantee can be made as to what will be achieved in the week as we only ever move at the child's pace.

We had a lot of fun playing games and practicing talking at home and with 3 key adults in her life with whom she had never spoken to before (she spoke to all this week).

We also went out and practiced talking in real life situations; responding to waiters, shop assistants etc - something she had never done before. All intervention was within game so she had lots of fun and felt happy. See photo of us on a nature hunt in the park!

A crucial part of the intervention was me modelling to mum the techniques in real life, demonstrating how to prompt for speech in day to day situations and also observing mum and giving feedback. Also crucially training the 3 key adults in how they should interact with her, as well as when and how to prompt for speech.

We have made a plan for the coming weeks and mum will continue the exposures with the 3 key adults and in the real world.

A week full of fun and games - the child loved it; we were facing her biggest fear yet this was very carefully planned so that she was only ever doing something she was equipped to do - she felt a feeling of success and thus built momentum and was able to do more.

*permission gained from parent to share photos*