Gavin started 1st Grade today! My boy is growing up so fast! I was so nervous for him, we moved recently so he was starting a new school. He had been at the old school all through pre-K and Kindergarten and knew his way around, and everyone there knew Gavin and knew his story. Now he'd be going into an unfamiliar place, where no one knew or understood his needs. But we made it through day 1!
I had a meeting with his teacher yesterday to really go into detail about what Selective Mutism was and tips on how to go about interacting with Gavin. I was happy to hear the teacher say she started researching the condition herself after I first told her about it a few days earlier at orientation. She had some great ideas on ways to try to help him and also brought the school counselor in on the discussion. I was So worried they weren't going to understand and would try to force him to talk, which would only make matters worse. I was very relieved to see they care :)
Gavin has had an IEP for 2 years for speech, but it touches very little on the Selective Mutism since he wasn't officially diagnosed until late into his Kindergarten school year. I feel a 504 plan will be a greater benefit to him and am currently working with the school to get that in place.
Gavin did have a good first day today. It was only a 3 hour day, tomorrow will be his first full day so we'll see how it goes. This is the first year there's not a restroom in the classroom and Gavin won't speak or gesture to ask to use the restroom which has caused some accidents in the past. The teacher and I's first goal is to find a way Gavin is comfortable with to let her know when he needs to go.
Wish us luck!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
About Gavin
This will be short and to the point to give a little background on Gavin, who is currently 6 years old and started the 1st grade today. I'll use this blog to document his progress, his struggles, and to hopefully let others who have someone close to them with Selective Mutism to understand and know they're not alone.
When Gavin was about 2 and a half years old, I started to get concerned about his speech, actually his lack there-of. At that time, I had only ever heard him say 'maybe' 5 words total. I took him in for a speech evaluation and they determined he needed speech and language therapy. This was nothing new for me as I had already had 2 children that had some speech delays and needed therapy for articulation. Gavin was different though, what little words Gavin would speak, he would only speak to me. He would not talk to his brothers or sisters, his dad, or anyone outside the home.
He started speech therapy at age 3 and loved his therapist, but would not speak to her. It was around this time however that he did start speaking in front of the rest of our household. It wasn't much, but it was something.
When he was 4 he started preschool and absolutely adored his teachers and loved going to school, but again wouldn't speak. About half way into that school year, his speech therapist asked if I ever heard of Selective Mutism. I hadn't but of course went straight home and researched it for weeks. Everything I read about it, it was like they were talking about my Gavin. Finally, his lack of speaking made sense. He wasn't just shy, he wasn't just stubborn, there was an actual reason for his lack of communication!
After a full school year of preschool, Gavin started Kindergarten and again absolutely loved his teacher and school. But again, he wouldn't speak. During the entire school year not a single person in that building ever heard Gavin speak or even whisper a single word. Now that we knew the problem though, we could try to find ways to help him, and one of the things his teacher came up with was "Yes/No" sticks. Just two simple strips of paper, one green with the word Yes, and one red with the word No that Gavin would point to when he needed to answer a yes or no question. He learned everything he was taught that year and would tell me all about it every day when he got home. But his lack of communication made it difficult for them to assess his progress.
......There's the short story background, and the rest will be written as we experience it :)
When Gavin was about 2 and a half years old, I started to get concerned about his speech, actually his lack there-of. At that time, I had only ever heard him say 'maybe' 5 words total. I took him in for a speech evaluation and they determined he needed speech and language therapy. This was nothing new for me as I had already had 2 children that had some speech delays and needed therapy for articulation. Gavin was different though, what little words Gavin would speak, he would only speak to me. He would not talk to his brothers or sisters, his dad, or anyone outside the home.
He started speech therapy at age 3 and loved his therapist, but would not speak to her. It was around this time however that he did start speaking in front of the rest of our household. It wasn't much, but it was something.
When he was 4 he started preschool and absolutely adored his teachers and loved going to school, but again wouldn't speak. About half way into that school year, his speech therapist asked if I ever heard of Selective Mutism. I hadn't but of course went straight home and researched it for weeks. Everything I read about it, it was like they were talking about my Gavin. Finally, his lack of speaking made sense. He wasn't just shy, he wasn't just stubborn, there was an actual reason for his lack of communication!
After a full school year of preschool, Gavin started Kindergarten and again absolutely loved his teacher and school. But again, he wouldn't speak. During the entire school year not a single person in that building ever heard Gavin speak or even whisper a single word. Now that we knew the problem though, we could try to find ways to help him, and one of the things his teacher came up with was "Yes/No" sticks. Just two simple strips of paper, one green with the word Yes, and one red with the word No that Gavin would point to when he needed to answer a yes or no question. He learned everything he was taught that year and would tell me all about it every day when he got home. But his lack of communication made it difficult for them to assess his progress.
......There's the short story background, and the rest will be written as we experience it :)
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