Raising A Child With Selective Mutism | MY CHILD WON'T TALK | Full Documentary | Origin
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Published 2019-01-11
Introducing three families whose children suffer from the strange and isolating condition called selective mutism. They are children who can talk and inside the family home, do talk, often quite noisily. But, in public, they are seized with an anxiety about speaking which is so acute it renders them mute.
They are unable to speak in class at school, to friends, to grandparents. Untreated, the condition destroys any prospect of a normal social life. But treatment is long term and painstaking. The prospect of speaking in public makes these children’s heart race, makes them sweaty, breathless and paralyzed by anxiety.
We meet seven year old Red, whose granddad has never heard a single word from his only granddaughter. We meet Megan, cut off from the rest of her school class by her fear of speaking. And we meet Danielle, who, at 15, seems to be a recovered mute. Danielle’s story shows us the persistence and insidiousness of the condition as it starts to creep back and steal away her speech again.
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All Comments (21)
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"Especially not a documentary film crew" This just got real
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I have a friend with selective mutism and he’s replaced words with varying tones of “hmm” he legit sounds like a Minecraft villager
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I had selective mutusm when I was a kid. I didn't speak a whole school year. After I moved to a new school I started speaking with the students and not the teacher. The next year we moved again and I spoke fine with everyone. For me, the more someone was expecting something from me, the harder it was to speak. My mom never pressured me to speak around new people and didn't make it a big deal which i think was really helpful for me getting over it.
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We need more people like Megan’s classmates. There so understanding and patient with her and they aren’t rude to her. I wish them all and the other 2 girls and there fam the best.
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when Megan's little friend said "thumbs up thumbs down, in the middle" to help her communicate, she's a real one
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People thought I had selective mutism until I told them i don’t talk to them because I don’t like them
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To hear your grandchild speak for the first time even in a recording has to be one of the greatest moments ngl made me tear up a little ❤️
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I understand that it's not our of malice but rather a lack of understanding, but it still always frustrates me in these situations when the adult makes it about them. I know it's tough for them too, but guilt tripping the kid just makes things worse.
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I’m pretty sure constantly asking them “are you ready to talk”? Isn’t helping 🤷♀️
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"How can you have a relationship with a child that won't speak to you?" mute people ... •-•
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When Megan spoke infront of the new teacher it honestly made me feel so happy because she just looks so happy to speak afterwards
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My best friend of a long time has selective mutism and one of my most happy memories is when she first became comfortable enough to speak to me. It probably took around 5-6 years for me to hear her speak, but man was I happy when I did. Not because of the fact that she spoke, we probably would’ve still been best friends even if she didn’t, but because it made me feel so special and really happy to know that she trusts me and is comfortable with me. What’s funny is that we became friends from a pretty young age, so most people are proud that I stayed friends with her as a kid, which no one else would. I was a very talkative kid, so I often carried conversations with her contributing at times with a white board. I was also very patient and I got along with almost everyone as a kid so it was pretty easy to be her friend to be fair. <3
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A girl in my class has selective mutism. She invited me over for a playdate and she talked to me the whole time, shes really nice :)
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In primary school one of my best friends was a select mute. I remember my teacher yelling at her every day, trying to force her to talk... it doesn’t help...
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My daughter who is 27 now, had SM as a young child. We went through tons of different kinds of counseling but to no avail. As a last resort we went to a child psychiatrist who started her on a low dose of Prozac. After a couple of months on this treatment, she began to speak, quietly at first but that was the breakthrough! It is the anxiety component that keeps these children from talking and once it is dealt with the child can feel safe to talk. I’m so grateful to say that my daughter successfully completed college with a teaching degree and is a kindergarten teacher! To see her now, I’m so grateful for her journey! There is hope! (I’d like to add that the Prozac treatment was temporary. She was only on it for a year.)
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I've struggled with selective mutism for my whole life and it's really nice to see people being ok with it and not judging people for it :)
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Megan’s face when she speaks and realises everything is fine, it’s the loveliest thing!
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no one: not a soul: literally no one: these girls:
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When I was a child in the 80s there was not even a name to this crippling disorder. Im so happy to see the advancement on recognizing and treating SM. The therapists are so spot on, so kind and with such patients.
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I have a friend who had selective mutism as a young child. She didn’t talk at all when she was young. Now she’s completely different. She talks to everyone, she makes TikTok’s, is super confident, has a boyfriend, etc. she’s also not afraid to stand up for herself. She’s 16.
