SMIRA became a UK Registered Charity in 1992, having been set up initially to support families with selectively mute children. This work has since been extended to provide information to health and education professionals involved in the upbringing of such children and young people.
Belonging to SMIRA is not meant to be an alternative to treatment, which may be carried out by a number of different agencies, but it is intended to give those with SM, their parents and professionals an opportunity to feel less isolated and share ideas with others who have experienced similar problems in either home, school or treatment situations.
SMIRA is well-respected both nationally and internationally, with links to other groups and professionals throughout the world. SMIRA operates a very active Facebook group, with members spanning over 50 countries. Within the UK there is an Annual Conference and training opportunities for both professionals and parents.
The Founder
ALICE SLUCKIN O.B.E.
Founder of SMIRA
Alice has been described as the ‘Grande Dame’ of Selective Mutism, and for good reason.
As a Senior Psychiatric Social Worker in Leicester in the 1960’s, Alice came across a small number of children who would not speak in school and was desperate to help them. Her own investigations turned up very little information on elective mutism, as it was then called, and drawing upon her own knowledge of psychology, Alice started using various behavioural techniques to help ease these children into talking. Her first research paper ‘A Behavioural Approach in the Treatment of Selective Mutism’ was published in 1969 and others followed in 1977 and 1991.This behavioural approach has provided the foundation for a great deal of the work by other professionals in the field of SM.
Alice’s interest in Selective Mutism continued after her retirement and in 1992 she brought together a number of Leicestershire parents and interested professionals for a meeting and exchange of information and ideas. This meeting was the springboard for SMIRA, which became a parent support group and a Registered Charity in 1993 and is now the national group we see today.
As Professor Tony Cline has said:
We owe Alice a debt, not only for the innovations she introduced in the 1970’s, but also for her long-standing commitment and determination and perseverance in working in an area where not many professional social workers or psychologists take a great interest, and maintaining that interest and developing this organisation for support, thanklessly well into her retirement and beyond when most of us are willing to work.”
Alice sadly passed away on 15th February 2019.
You can read Alice’s obituary here.
Hon. President:
Biddy Baxter MBE DLitt.
Hon. Vice-President:
Benita Rae Smith MRCSLT, MA
Patrons:
Tony Cline BA, DipPsych., Ph.D
Jonathan Straight
Meet the Co-ordinator
Lindsay Whittington
Lindsay is responsible for the day to day running of SMIRA and is Lead Administrator of the Facebook Group.
She is a founding member of SMIRA and parent of a recovered selectively mute daughter. Lindsay is currently employed by SMIRA on a part time basis.
Committee Members
Phil Thomason
Chairperson and International Representative
Phil is a father of three children, one of which was diagnosed with selective mutism in 2007, after 5 years of silence in the school setting. Following the advice available, his child has since overcome the disorder and Phil has dedicated a lot of his spare time to the SMIRA cause online and internationally from his home in Germany.
Having become a SMIRA Trustee in 2012, Phil has since been active in building the SMIRA online presence and advocating for SMIRA on a global scale, developing relationships with many people, professionals and other organisations like SMIRA around the world in his role as International Representative. Phil supports SMIRA in many areas and has been very active in building the team of SMIRA Trustees, online administrators and more recently SMIRA Associates.
Phil is concerned particularly with the impact on Selective Mutism of factors such as migration and multi-lingualism. Phil gave the keynote speech at the SMIRA Conference 2015 and continues to advocate on behalf of SMIRA at every opportunity.
As a management consultant and 35-year IT management professional, Phil brings SMIRA a wealth of experience and technical knowledge. Phil has a degree in History (University of Leicester, 1987) and an M.Sc. in Information Systems (Portsmouth, 1988).
Phil is a basketball coach, a passionate historical photographer and, as he will always say, ‘Just a dad!’
Phil was elected Chairman of SMIRA at the AGM in November 2024.
Victoria Roe
Secretary and Deputy Chair
Now a retired teacher and former SENCO, Victoria first helped a child with Selective Mutism in Slough in 1979 by using behavioural methods. After studying at Exeter University for a Bachelor of Philosophy in Education degree in ‘Children with Learning Difficulties’, she moved to Leicester in 1983 to teach in an inner-city Nursery/Infant School with responsibility for music and Special Educational Needs. In 1989, when the whole-school SEN screening system she had introduced, identified an unusually high number of withdrawn children, including a selectively mute girl in the Nursery, Victoria devised a programme of interactive activities designed to build self-esteem and communication skills in these children. After less than one term, all the children had shown improvement and the selectively mute girl had started talking and continued to talk in school even after transfer into the Infants. Thereafter, the group was run whenever the need arose in the school.
In 1991, Victoria was introduced to Alice Sluckin and became involved with the ‘Selective Mutism Information and Research Association’ (SMIRA). She was encouraged to write an article on the ‘Interactive Therapy Group’, which was published in ‘Child Language, Teaching and Therapy’ (Roe. 1993, 9:2, 133-140). She continued to work with SMIRA.
Victoria gained a Master of Arts in Educational Studies from the University of Leicester in 2011, doing research into Selective Mutism in adolescents. A paper on her research can be accessed here.
Victoria is one of those who represent SMIRA at meetings of The Communication Trust and Consortium.
