Teaching Strategies to Help Overcome the Silent Struggle: Educational Support for Selective Mutism

Selective mutism is a rare anxiety disorder which makes a child consistently fail to speak in specific situations which cause extreme stress to the child. The behavioural inhibitions associated with the disorder become more noticeable when the child begins preschool or formal schooling when she/he comes into contact with peer groups of the same age. Since this is not a communicative disorder the child is able to have successful speech interaction in contexts such as home where she/he feels comfortable. Reluctance to speak may inevitably involve adverse consequences for the child in the school classroom, limiting her/his potential for a fulfilling educational experience. As such, it is imperative to introduce supportive mechanisms to minimize stress in the classroom with a view to help reduce the anxiety levels of the student, thus ensuring a satisfactory learning experience. However, there is a considerable lack of awareness of this disorder among educators as well as the general public, which may contribute to the scarcity of teaching strategies used in the classroom to help such children. In such a context, this paper, employing a literature review method, intends to sensitize teachers and the general community about the disorder and of the procedures available for successful teaching of children with selective mutism.