My 4-year-old daughter began displaying SM behavior at 2 when she refused to talk in preschool. She is now 4 years old and still has yet to speak. Once her SM was recognized and diagnosed, we began working with a licensed social worker, and have had great success with the help of a trained pet therapy dog named Boomer. However, I am unclear how the success we’ve seen in the counselor’s office with K…. opening up and speaking freely to a relative stranger, can be transferred to the classroom. How does this work with children that you deal with??

Answer

Excellent Question! I agree wholeheartedly with your suspicion. Your treating professional needs to devise a treatment plan that will incorporate tactics for you to use with your child OUTSIDE of her office. I have so many parents who contact us because of this very issue. Their child has been involved in treatment, sometimes for years, is perhaps doing well in the ‘office’ but has not made progress at home or in social settings, such as school. A program to help lower anxiety at school (where most SM cases are the most severe) and other social settings, build self-esteem and to devise tactics to help increase confidence in social settings. You need tactics to use in school and at home, or I agree, you will see little overall progress.

Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum