Selective Mutism Child Challenge at School - Talent show

The Challenge of Selective Mouth Disease Children at School - Talent Show

The annual talent show in March is an event that all the teachers, students, and parents are looking forward to. At the show, you can see many wonderful performances such as singing, dancing, playing the flute, and acrobatics. The list goes on and on. Even till now people still have vivid memories of Jacob's puppet playing DDR from last year. Amy is also looking forward to it. She has been preparing for this conference for a long time. Yesterday, she and her partner Katherine performed once in the class during the day, then again at Katherine’s house in the evening. Earlier this morning, as the stars were still blinking in the sky, Amy got up. She finished brushing her teeth and other morning routines, and excitedly put on the fairy outfit that her mom prepared for her. It was a red half-sleeved shirt with silver sequins paired with a white, red polka dot skirt. Mom held a red silver-trimmed ribbon and plucked the hair from behind Amy's head, completing the arrangement with a big bow. The finishing touch was her red shoes to completely transform Amy into a fairy.

After breakfast, Amy arrived at the school far ahead of others. There was no one in the quiet auditorium, and the stage was already well-arranged. The banner of the talent show was hung on the curtain. Amy and her mother followed the performance procedure that the teacher gave them and stepped on the stage, walking back and forth a few times. Then Amy practiced walking alone while mom sat as the audience. After the whole process became clear, Amy went to the classroom to meet Katherine. "Good morning Amy!" There was a greeting coming from behind. Amy turned and saw Dylan in a suit and tie. He was carrying his violin while walking with his dad. The untidy hair was now styled into a neat spike. Amy waved her hand and responded to Katherine. "Amy, are you going to play Guzheng again this year? I saw you played it last year and I liked it" said Dylan's dad. Amy curled her mouth. Before she could say something, Katherine hurried from the classroom and said, "Good morning Dylan, Amy is going to perform a little magic this year." "Wow! Little magic!" said Dylan, "I'm looking forward to it. Go Amy! Break a leg!" Dylan laughed and encouraged. "Thanks" Amy smiled and responded. When Dylan and his father walked away, Katherine asked Amy, "What should I do? I forgot to bring a magic hat." Amy thought for a moment, and looked at Katherine, then to her mother again. "How about you use my red and white checkered cup instead?" Mom kindly touched Amy's head: "Good idea. I'll go get it from the car then meet you girls in the auditorium."

Amy and Katherine went to the auditorium. Mrs. Harberson arranged them to sit in the front row to make it easier for them to walk up and down the stage. Mrs. Harberson said to Amy, "You look like a little magician. You will do great! Can you lead Katherine to the stage?" Amy nodded and helped Katherine become familiar with the route that she and her mom rehearsed in the morning. Looking down from the stage behind the curtain, the parents have already entered the auditorium one after another. Her mom also came in with their cup. Amy and Katherine went over the performance quickly and returned to their seats. On the way to their seats, they heard people saying: "Hey, there's a magic show. I want to see it!" "Where is it?" "Here, 'The Lost Candy' by Amy and Katherine." One pointed to the program brochure. "Must be a good show, I look forward to it." The other one replied with excitement. Amy and Katherine smiled at each other with confidence, waiting for the show to begin.

When it was their turn, Amy walked calmly to the center of the stage as Katherine followed. Amy shook the magic cup as Katherine said, "empty cup" and used the magic wand to make a circle. Amy put a few pieces of candies into the cup and shook the magic cup again. Katherine said, “the candies are in the cup!” Then she used magic wand and drew a circle again. Amy covered the cup with her hand, shook it up and down while making circling pattern in front of her and chanted, "Abracadabra!" Katherine touched the cup with her magic wand. Then she said, "Tada, the candies are all gone." Amy made another circle and suddenly opened her hand and turned the cup toward the audience. "Wow, candies are really all gone!" "Where did they go?" People applauded in disbelieve. Amy smiled happily, bowed and stepped down with Katherine. Along the way, they were praised by people. “You girls are amazing. Did the candy really be gone?” “It's amazing. How did you do it?” “Can you perform it again? I didn't catch it.” “Can I touch your magic wand and cup?”, “Can you teach me?”, “Congratulations!”, “Congratulations!” and “You are amazing!”. . . . . .

Amy and Katherine were very very happy. No doubt this year's talent show was well received. What will they do next year?

 Strategy: Let Amy perform together with her friends. Rehearse well beforehand. Arrive early to the venue and let Amy become familiar with the environment and process. Arrange Amy to sit on the side of the aisle and not sit in the crowd. Let Amy lead her friend to the stage. Encourage Amy and her friends with cheerful words before going onto the stage. Praise and congratulate them after the performance. These have been shown to be helpful to increase Amy's confidence.

 Authors: Jun Reitman and Albert Wang. WeChat: junwang08837

Amy Mom invites you to “selective mutism parents to share the group”. [e-mail]

Selective mutism includes Speech Phobia, Sensory Disorder, and Social Anxiety. Keywords: Why do SM children not speak, Children not speaking outside home, Children not dare to speak, not speaking to strangers, Social fears, Children not speaking in kindergartens or schools, Shy, sensitive, timid, weak, afraid of life, introverted, no Self-confidence, stubbornness, not eating, not going to the toilet, not playing with children, talking at home, not speaking at home. Speaking only to Mom and Dad, and not participating in group activities.