[SENco-forum] Primary assessment of selective mute

thanks for your reply Sharon as my original request hasn't arrived in my
inbox so I was wondering if it had been posted.  Could you forward Liz's
reply, cos that hasn't arrived either!

Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: SEN at tringham.net [mailto:SEN at tringham.net]
Sent: 11 December 2006 09:47
To: Richard Cook; Becta Senco
Subject: RE: [SENco-forum] Primary assessment of selective mute

I was going to reply but Liz got there first! Assess at home and do stuff at
school with his mum for a bit.

My son had a high IQ that we did not know about until he was 7.  He was odd
and I thought ASD, but was later told ASD tendencies only (!).  In playgroup
he was quiet would not interact with others and just played with sand.  He
spoke late but had absorbed everything as when he did speak the speech was
complex and no longer delayed.

n reception he did not talk other than yes/no and drove the teacher crazy
with his literal interpretations.  "Would you like to make a mothers Day
card for your Mummy ?" - No.   He saw no need to talk as no one was saying
or asking anything sensible.  Complying in this instance is not something
some children find easy to understand, even if we think the request is
logical as they may not absorb or understand social norms. My son needed 3
years of social skill training using Time to Talk & Socially Speaking age
6-9.

Has anyone explained to him that he has to respond to the teachers request
to talk or read, just as if his mum had asked him at home?  He also-like my
son- may be overwhelmed by the input being too loud and to 'alien' for him
to make any sense of.  My son also has dyslexia which brings some
developmental delay.  At 6/7 he joined in with Barney the Dinosaurs requests
rather than at 3/4 and now at 10 he keeps hugging & kissing me at school.
Once 'taught' the correct social skill it sometimes has to be 'untaught' so
that it remains appropriate.

Best of luck!
Sharon

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