Selective mutism is a big problem in teenagers. It is seen that while they are quite active at home, they turn shy once they have to interact on a public platform. In this post, we list some key tips on dealing with selective mutism in teens.
1. Teaching them to handle Anxiety
When it comes to dealing with selective mutism in teens as a parent or elder in the family, you should tell them about ways to handle anxiety. You should teach them to develop patience and take things as they emerge.
Understand their root cause of anxiety be it personal or related to their education. Once the cause has been identified you should find ways of tackling the problem with patience and care. If and when you are able to handle this challenge of the teenager, take this as a reference point and tell them to handle such situations in a similar manner. With experience they will learn a lot and you will find that this problem of anxiety on their part would be reduced to a great level. This shall also have its impact on their mutism traits and they will develop confidence to deal with problems and slowly the incidence of selective mutism will reduce.
2. Encouraging them to speak up at Public Platforms
It has been seen that teens who suffer from selective mutism often fail to speak up at public platforms. This issue is quite critical and demotivates a person at all levels. Thus, dealing with selective mutism in teens would require you to take action at your level.
You should encourage the teens to speak up at public platforms to tackle up this problem. In the beginning you can ask them to speak up in a closed environment. You can also ask them to speak up in front of mirror.
This will help them develop confidence and they would feel better when speaking up in public. Slowly, you will see that this problem of selective mutism will get better.
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3. Speech Therapy
For dealing with selective mutism in teens the help of speech therapist can be taken. At times, this is also a medical issue that might require medical attendance. In such cases, the help of a speech therapist can be sought. They can help the teenager to speak with clarity and confidence. A treatment cycle of 2-3 months will help the child to clear up his or her vocabulary and speak up with confidence in public.
4. Psychological Support
One of the ways of dealing with selective mutism is offering psychological support to the teenager. You should understand any kind of problem that he or she might be facing. If you offer them support and stand by them, you will see that they will get over the problem of selective mutism with time.
If you try these tips on dealing with selective mutism in teens with your children life would be better for you and your teenager too.
Featured image courtesy: https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-teenager-portrait-teen-1869530/
