>
> I want to work towards her eventually talking to me and would like
to
> hear how best to achieve this. I am totally new to this condition
and
> would also be grateful if you could recommend any reading or
websites.
>


Hi Kate. Thank you for your professionalism in wanting to help this
selectively mute child in your class. You may find that with the
proper intervention, she will first whisper to another child in the
class instead of an adult. Most begin speaking to classmates and
then the teacher. This can take many months to slowly reduce the
anxiety. The classroom teacher's job is to first reduce anxiety in
all settings and then speech will follow. The child needs to feel
very comfortable and safe knowing that she will not be pressured or
forced to speak. A couple of good websites for teacher information
are: www.selective-mutism.com and www.selectivemutism.org