Teaming Up for Brave Talking: Partnering with Your Child’s School for a Successful Year
Educators can be amazing partners in supporting a student’s brave talking growth throughout the school year. They are experts at building relationships with students, setting “just-right” goals, and monitoring growth over time. So, how can parents and providers tap into these teacher superpowers while also being mindful of the countless other tasks educators are juggling each day? A collaborative plan that prioritizes communication, realistic goals, and shared responsibility can help set everyone—including the student—up for success.
Get on the Same Page
A great first step is making sure your child’s teacher understands Selective Mutism (SM) and has access to reliable information about how to support brave talking at school. Thriving Minds has a dedicated resource page with articles, book recommendations, webinars, and other SM resources for families and educators. The Selective Mutism Association also offers resources specifically for school professionals, including an Educator’s Toolkit and Webcourse.
It can also be helpful to share a brief overview of your child’s current communication abilities. Who are they already speaking with? In which settings is speech easiest? What strategies have been successful? What situations remain particularly challenging? Giving teachers this information at the beginning of the year can help them meet the student where they are rather than starting from scratch.
Communication & Check-Ins
Coordinate with your child’s teacher to determine the best way to communicate about positive progress as well as any “sticky spots” that arise during the school day. If the teacher already uses a daily planner, communication app, email, or another system with families, that is often a great place to start.
It is equally important to establish realistic expectations about how often updates will occur. Teachers do not need to provide a detailed report every day for communication to be effective! A brief weekly update or simple tracking system may provide enough information to identify patterns and determine whether goals need to be adjusted. Having a clear and consistent communication plan helps parents, educators, and providers stay on the same page without creating an unnecessary burden for school staff.
Set “Just-Right” Goals
We want students with SM to have plenty of opportunities to practice brave talking throughout the school day, but more practice is not always better. Goals should be challenging enough to promote growth without being so difficult that the student becomes overwhelmed. We also want to consider the student’s stamina—pushing oneself to be brave all day long would be exhausting for anyone!
Rather than expecting teachers to monitor brave talking throughout the entire school day, consider choosing one or two specific goals during predictable parts of the student’s schedule. A goal might be answering the teacher during morning check-in, asking a peer a question during partner work, or verbally ordering one item in the lunch line. Parents, teachers, and providers can work together to identify appropriate goals, and older students can—and should—be included in deciding what they are ready to practice.
Make an Implementation Plan
Once a student is verbal with their classroom teacher, that teacher can become a wonderful facilitator of brave talking practices within the natural routines of the classroom. For example, the teacher might help the student gradually move from answering questions one-on-one to responding with a peer present and eventually participating in a small group.
For students who are not yet speaking with their classroom teacher—or who need support with goals outside of the classroom—a school-based “keyworker” can be especially helpful. A keyworker serves as a consistent school-based interventionist or “team quarterback” who regularly meets with the student to practice brave talking. This person may help the student establish speech with new people or practice specific skills, such as talking with a specials teacher, self-advocating with the bus driver, or ordering in the lunch line. Keyworkers are often staff members who have the flexibility to provide consistent practice and step in when a student gets stuck.
Parents and the school team should identify ahead of time who will help with which goals. Sharing responsibility helps ensure that brave talking practice actually happens while keeping expectations realistic for everyone involved.
Celebrate Wins—Big and Small
Progress is rarely linear for students with SM. Sometimes growth is easy to see: the student speaks to someone new, makes a friend, advocates for themselves in the lunchroom, or gives a presentation to the class. Other victories are much easier to miss among the hustle and bustle of a busy school day. Maybe the student made eye contact with the bus driver, said “bye” to a friend in the noisy pick-up line, raised their hand for the first time, or took a brave guess during a group science experiment. These moments matter, too.
Be intentional about noticing and celebrating each brave step, big or small. And don’t forget to celebrate the adults on the team! Supporting a student with SM requires patience, creativity, consistency, and collaboration. When parents, educators, providers, and students work together toward shared goals, the school environment can become one of the most powerful places for children to build confidence and find their brave voice.