Communicating Phonics - The Communication Trust

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Communicating PhonicsSection 4 > Different types ofspeech, language and communication needs > Children with selective mutismMany children with selective mutism may also meet thediagnostic criteria for various social anxiety disorders. 48 Theremay be a history of shyness, anxiety, speech and languagedisorders or psychiatric disorders in the family of a child withselective mutism. 49Helping to access the phonics screening checkBe advised by the parents, speech and language therapist or otherinvolved professionals, because even attempting the check may be toostressful and set back any progress towards speaking made by the child.It’s important to recognise the underlying anxiety that is thelikely origin of selective mutism and to dismiss any ideas thatit’s deliberate, wilful or controlling behaviour by the child.Understanding this will relieve the stress felt by adults workingwith the child.The most common place for children to exhibit mute behaviouris in the classroom, so teachers or nursery staff often notice thedisorder first.Generally children with selective mutism are very wary ofany situation that demands verbal responses, especiallychecks. Their anxiety may well increase to a level that makesit impossible for them to respond at all. It’s likely that theywill have to be excluded from the check. Some children willbe amenable to a non-verbal assessment technique, such aspointing to letters, but others may not even be at the stage ofcommunicating non-verbally. Adults should understand thatpersuasion, flattery, bribery, pressuring or punishing childrenwith selective mutism will only increase their anxiety.Possible issuesThe child may worry they will beinterrupted or overheardMost children with selective mutismhave adequate comprehension andreception skills in the classroom,but are unlikely to speak to namealphabet letters, produce phonicssounds, or read textIf the child is not speaking atschool, it may be possible to lookat alternative ways to access thecheckWays to helpUndertake the check in a quietspaceSome children will allow theirparents to videotape or audiotapetheir reading performance athome, which can then be reviewedby school staffAdminister the check at home inthe presence of the parent (withor without the use of video oraudiotape)The speech and language therapistor another professional, withwhom the child is able to speakcomfortably, could administer thecheck outside of school48 Black and Uhde, 1995; Dummit et al, 199749 Steinhausen and Adamek, 199756
Communicating PhonicsSection 4 > Different types ofspeech, language and communication needs > Children with selective mutismThe outcome of the checkSome children may feel able to undertake the checkwith a familiar adult, for example their speech andlanguage therapist, outside of school. Their responses mayaccurately reflect their phonic skills.Some children with selective mutism, who have reachedthe stage of speaking in a whisper, may respond to afamiliar person in a situation where they will not beoverheard. If they’re only whispering, all the speechsounds they produce will sound voiceless (for example, ‘b’produced as ‘p’, ‘d’ as ‘t’ and ‘z’ as ‘s’).Responding to the outcomeof the checkApproaches to support the literacy development of children withselective mutism:The mutism is highly functional in that it reduces anxiety and protectsthe child from the perceived challenge of social interaction. Treatmentof selective mutism should focus on reduction of the general anxiety,rather than simply focusing only on the mute behaviours.All literacy work should be set within general good practice forchildren with selective mutism – please see the section on additionalresources and further support on the next page.•Use non-verbal activities for recognition of phonemes with signsor actions (for example, Jolly Phonics), word picture matching andword sorting57
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Communicating Phonics - The Communication Trust

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