My latest assignment was to choose a speech or language disorder to give a power point presentation and fact sheet. I chose Selective Mutism. It is an anxiety disorder. It can often begin when a child reaches school age. Children go from home or preschool, which is mostly play and having fun with peers, to sitting in a desk being called on to answer questions. Anxiety rises in certain children that already may be predisposed to extreme shyness or separation anxiety. The attached fact sheet I compiled will give specific treatments and interventions. The main idea to take away is a child must speak freely in at least one environment, such as their home. If they will not speak in any environment it is not Selective Mutism. Also, an English Learner does not qualify for this disorder if they are within the "silent period" learning their new language. This can be a normal period where there is an an adjustment from speaking in one language to another. Collaboration between the Speech Language Pathologist is essential for anyone in contact with the child, such as the SPED teacher, general ed, music, PE teachers. To prevent the cycle of non-verbal responses it is important to use open-ended questions and and not yes/no questions. I picked this topic because a 2nd grader in my daughter's Girl Scout troop has this disorder. I am one of the leaders in the troop, and to be honest I was perpetuating the cycle by allowing non-verbal answers. She has whispered to me about 5 words in 6 months. I do think she feels more comfortable with me now, but she will not give sentences. She is making improvements slowly with her SLP. So check out the document and pass it on if you know someone with a child who might be prone to having this disorder or already does.
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I'm not talking about students in this case. Teachers are being forced to use social media to communicate and sometimes the message does not get received well. Another issue is teachers communicating with each other through social media, email, text. Collaboration is a huge facet of what teachers do. They collaborate with parents and each other daily. I'm a mom, and so far communication with my children's teachers has been going great. On my part I go out of my way to not give subliminal feelings or use the communication pathway too frequently.
I have seen in the news, every month and sometimes multiple times a month, a teacher is in the news for using social media to inappropriately communicate with students. It seems like common sense that a teacher would know the line, and not cross it, but obviously that is not the case. I asked a professor why we do not have a one credit class just pertaining to the use of social media, apps and texting. She agreed that it would be a good idea. We practice dressing appropriately for school, lesson planning, accepting diversity, time management, but there is also a huge expectation from parents to be compassionate and communicate through pathways that are still new to the teaching profession. There is also an expectation from the community that a teacher knows not to privately communicate with students, but yet these same tools are used in the classroom to learn. Teachers need instruction in ethics of technology just as much as they do for lesson planning. We cannot assume that every teacher is on the same page with standards in this regard. For instance, I recently took a class on diversity in America. I consider myself an accepting person, especially of other cultures, I'd say I am pretty good at it. Other students in my class were learning some things for the first time. We all live in America, we know people of different races, but the class is a requirement so that we are all on the same page to really understand issues of other races and disabilities. We all left that class at the end of the semester with the same foundation to accept and be sensitive to the diversity in America. Likewise, just because a teacher has a smart phone and has used Facebook for five years does not mean they understand boundaries and have clear standards for using technology. I hope this changes soon. The survey was voluntary and the link was shared only through social media. I did not receive as many completed surveys as I would have liked. The reason for conducting the short survey was to guide my research/position paper, it was not to conclusively prove medical needs. There were only 25 participants but I hope as you see the results that a majority of the parents had to do their own research to help their children. Very few parents had alternative treatments suggested by medical providers.
Question 1: What alternative treatments do you use? Answers: 42% indicated they use gluten free / casein free diets with vitamin regimens 37% indicated they use other alternative treatments such as no food dye, high fructose corn syrup, additionally took soy out with gluten and dairy. 21% Use only a specific vitamin regimen Question 2: How long has your child been on the alternative treatment? Answers: 96% have been on the diet for over 6 months 4% Less than one month Question 3: Have these dietary changes provided positive changes? Answers: 67% indicated yes 33% indicated no Question 4: Was not asked in a way that would provide multiple answers (my fault) but the question asked what symptoms lessened, if any? Parents indicated that social anxiety, tics, depression, better sleep, constipation etc. Personally for my son a GFCF diet helped relieve multiple symptoms. Question 5: Who suggested these dietary treatments for your child? Answers: Pediatrician 13% Psychiatrist/ Psychologist 4% Dietitian/Nutritionist 8% Family member 4% My own personal research 71% Question 6: Do your child's healthcare providers support the dietary changes? Answers: Yes 50% No 13% They do not believe it makes a difference 37 Question 7: Do you wish you had more support from health professionals? Answers: Yes 75% No 25% The most important items driving me from the results are that a clear majority of parents had to do their own research to get help for their children and the same amount wish they had more support from their healthcare providers. Parents are given a diagnosis of autism but afterwards help is not as readily available, which leaves parents to their own devices to do their own research. |
AuthorSpecial Education major in a university teaching program. Substitute teacher, previous homeschool mom, wife. Archives
September 2019
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