I'm glad to hear you're so on the ball with this diagnosis and his treatment. I hope I can add some support to what everyone has given.

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The teacher says when she calls on him, he always answers, and he will also raise his hand, but she is looking for free discussion between the kids and finds that he doesn't just open up and start talking.


So it sounds like the teacher needs more information on Selective Mutism. The very heart of the problem is that they don't "just open up and start talking," especially if they desparately want to.
Maybe if you had her read some journal articles or some literature from his psychiatrist, she would ease up and not have her expectations so misplaced. Also, she might feel like she is part of a team - child, parents, psych, teacher.

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If she can help him learn to participate in a discussion, I'm sure we'd all be beside ourselves with joy, including DS.


This comment kind of struck me, because people with Selective Mutism don't "learn to participate in a discussion." They have experience participating in discussions at home with family, maybe with cousins, and possibly with a good friend or two.

They also learn like all of the other kids from listening in the classroom as to what a good response is or not.

The problem isn't 'learning to participate in discussions,' but easing up the tension when he wants to contribute. The teacher may feel it is her job to teach him to participate, when really she'd better off easing up on him and treating him like everyone else so he doesn't feel singled out, adding to his anxiety.

Also, she should make him feel like what he says matters, so that he doesn't feel pressure from the idea that people may think about him differently if he says something wrong.

I completely agree with Dottie about getting him a 504 to address some of these issues.

In the 504, besides grading, I'd also have him sit next to as many "buddies" he feels comfortable enough to talk to in a variety of school situations - field trips, reading time, going to the library, assemblies, class groups - but then also adding a new child or two to the team/group/partners. This way he has a friend to talk to while at the same time he is widening his circle of true friends.