Breaking the Silence: An IPA study exploring the experiences, thoughts, feelings and perspectives of teachers working with Selectively Mute children.

Research has shown that Selective Mutism occurs more frequently within the school setting particularly when children first start school. A great deal of the research available on Selective Mutism within the school setting is based on evaluating intervention and there is currently a gap in the literature concerning the experiences of teachers. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to give teachers a voice and provide greater insight into how Educational Psychologists can support teachers when working with a Selective Mute in the classroom. Five teachers’ perspectives were gained using semi-structured interviews and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data. Superordinate themes emerged for each of the five teachers leading to six overarching themes that were identified across the whole sample: attempting to create an inclusive environment; taking ownership for helping the child to speak; using others as a source of support; a challenging experience for the teacher; the frustration of teaching a Selective Mute and requiring support and training from other professionals. The findings have been discussed in relation to existing literature and theory. Implications for teachers, the Educational Psychology service and the local authority were considered in regard to providing training and supervision in order to support teachers more effectively.