Autism and Selective Mutism (Day 1 of 2)

Autism and Selective Mutism (2-Day Parent and Professional Joint Event)
Creating a Communication Friendly Environment
Understanding and Managing Selective Mutism

Course Description
During this 2-day Parent and Professional Joint Event, consideration is given to what brings out the best and maybe the worst in all of us in a learning situation. From this, it is hoped that the realisation is that the simplest changes can make the biggest difference to the child or young person with autism’s sense of belonging, purpose, enjoyment, success, and motivation. 

Building on this we look specifically at the impact of selective mutism on one’s ability to engage, participate and interact, with strategies that can be used at home and school to promote verbal communication.
Day 1 Foundation training: Rules of engagement in relation to autism and selective mutism; 
Day 2 Further management strategies to address selective mutism, including additional considerations for adolescents and young adults. 

Expected Outcomes 
Participants will:
(i) Have a framework for recognising and managing reasons for children’s reluctance to engage
(ii) Understand the nature and causes of selective mutism (SM)
(iii) Be able to differentiate patterns of non-talking in SM and autism
(iv) Know how to implement an inclusive 24/7 approach to SM management which promotes well-being and participation
(v) Be aware of more formal approaches to address SM
(vi) Consider the legal and educational rights of young people who have SM 
(vii) Learn skills to engage with older or more ‘hard to reach’ young people

Course Overview / Content 
Day 1:
1. 8 factors which combine to create a communication friendly environment
2. Barriers to listening and participation which can exist in the learning environment
3. Practical strategies to remove or minimise barriers to engagement
4. What is SM? Diagnostic features and contributory factors
5. Distinguishing SM from shyness, language difficulties and autism.
6. Principles of intervention
7. The stages of one-to-one interaction
8. Informal management strategies for home and school

Day 2:
1. Small-steps programmes to address SM
2. Generalising from one to one communication to others, across a range of settings
3. Working with older children and young people
4. Issues of consent

References:
Helping Children to Hang On To Your Every Word (Johnson 2007, QEd Publications)
The Selective Mutism Resource Manual, second edition (Johnson and Wintgens, 2016, Speechmark Publications)