The Selective Mutism Resource Manual: 2nd Edition (A Speechmark Practical Sourcebook)

As someone who has grown up with and never overcome selective mutism, I though this book would be useful in getting free from my SM. What I didn’t know was that the resources in the book are mostly for parents and therapists. There isn’t really anything in it focused on adults with SM, which is what I needed. In the contents it lists a section for adults, however those pages aren’t in the book. Because the page numbers I was looking for weren’t in the book, I first thought I had an incomplete book, but found out I needed to go online to access what little material there is for adults. It’s a useful book, but I’m beyond the years where most of this would help me. Reading this book did help me discover the reason I got worse instead of better, by finding out that throughout my life growing up, my parents, therapists, teachers and other adults in my life always did the opposite of what they were supposed to do. Had this book been available to them, I probably would have been able to learn to manage my SM. Since I’m not a therapist, I don’t know if any of this can be adapted in any way for adults, but I am planning on having my new therapist look at it to see what she thinks. I haven’t yet read through the material for adults, but since it’s not in the book anyway, it’s not part of my review.

I am the grandparent of a child with selective mutism and a retired special ed teacher. I highly recommend this book for all parents, grandparents and teachers working with a child with selective mutism. It is well written, uses people friendly language, is full of a variety of strategies for coping and is easy to use as a quick reference book. The spiral binding is a nice bonus, as the book opens and lays flat at a page you want to return to. The quality of the construction of the book is good too. It is well worth every penny I spent on it.

I am so happy I bought this book. I am a grandmother and I need to better understand SM It is very important to have a great relationship with my grandchild and I feel this book has a lot to teach me. I am so glad to have this it is more costly then many other books but I am sure it is more then worth it It will help you to create the right environment and understanding to reach the child. It also helps the parent /and other caring prople to do thier part

This has a lot of valuable information that was really helpful to me in understanding my child better. I will also be taking this with me when I get my daughter in to see her new therspist. Alot of this appears to be written for those in the mental health field to help them in diagnosis and treatment, which as a parent of an SM, it really did help me to understand and learn more on the subject.

I wish I had purchased this years ago. It should be in the hands of all Speech Pathologists.

Great for therapists working with children with this diagnosis. It has handouts for teachers, parents and the child. The treatment protocols really work for children with SM. The handouts are meant to be copied for clients and other professionals and the binding makes copying easy. This appears to be the most comprehensive manual out there on the market for SM.

This is a wonderful book. I read several books on the subject of selective mutism and this is by far the best. Highly recommend it to anyone who needs to help a child with this disorder. Whether you are a parent, a teacher or a healthcare professional, you will find a lot of useful information and practical advise in this book.

My daughter is 5. She has been in the same nursery school since she was 3, but never initiate any talk with a classmate or a teacher. I was not too concerned because she talked normally at home, and I thought she was just shy like her dad. I heard about Selective Mutism from a friend. After another conference with her teachers last week when they expressed their concern like all her previous teachers, I did some research about selective mutism online and realized it fits my daughter's behavior. So I bought this book based on the reviews of Amazon.com readers.The authors emphasize that it is important to be open with the child: acknowledge his/her anxiety, and find some explanations, but reassure the child that you are able to help him/her.In my daughter's case, I finally figured out that she was afraid that when she talked in school, people would not respond. I told her it was natural that she had this concern because she did not speak English when she first started going to the nursery school. Besides, every one in our family speaks softly, while the school is full of loud kids. When she talked in a quiet voice, other people might not hear her and so did not respond. She can use people's names and speak in a louder voice to get their attention. I also said her teachers and I would help her learn how to talk more in school. Just this simple talk seems to do the trick. This week, she is more and more willing to use the social skills that I try to teach her and to talk to her classmates and teachers.Today, one week after getting this book, my daughter had a play date with a friend's daughter. I heard my daughter answered all the other girls questions in a normal voice, and made requests like "can I help you", "can I have a turn". It never happen before. I could not believe my ears and felt like crying out of joy.In short, buy this book if you have a child that is reluctant to speak up. It is worth every penny of it.

As a selective mute adult struggling with selective mutism since childhood where it went undiagnosed, finding a book on the subject was an amazing relief, especially since it is rare, to know that there is information on what I'm dealing with on the daily is refreshing and intriguing.I did personally disagree with some points I deal with, but then so far it appears to be very individually based, and a lot I knew already, it what was great was seeing how accurate the symptoms and thoughts ranged depending on the situation . I was annoyed at how repetitive it was through the chapters. But it is the first book on selective mutism I hold in my hands and it must be said that it is wonderful this resource manual exists. I recommend highly for all .

My daughter is Selective Mute and so much of this book relates to her. We’ Only just begun the process to help her and this book is amazing. It covers so many aspects of this complex condition and you find yourself nodding at most things written it.I read a review that describes the book as ‘flimsy’ and they weren’t keen on the spiral binding. I find the binding incredibly practical-the book is large and the binding means you don’t have to physically hold it with both hands or hold it open with one hand whilst trying to make notes etc.

Amazing book for both parents and professionals of children/young people with selective mutism. Answers every question you could possibly have and is so generous with all the resources it contains. We put off buying this for a while because of the price, but it has been worth every penny to help us help our 4 year old son with SM. So much information you can select to share with school, family and friends too which is all part of the intervention process to successfully support the child. Highly recommend.

I had been putting off buying this book for some time, mainly due to the cost. However I'm kicking myself as I should have bought it ages ago. It is by far the best book I have read regarding selective mutism, it seems to cover everything and Also comes with an online resource which you do need as it runs in parallel with the manual. If you have a child with this disorder or you are looking to help treat it, don't hesitate, buy it you won't regret it.

Initially felt like an extravagant purchase but cheaper than private counselling! In fact, invaluable to a parent with a child suffering with aspects of this condition. Very clear and well organised. Ring bound format works well.