News Archive
* * Please note: the news items below are out of date and are for archive / reference purposes only. * *
Selective Mutism Awareness Month
October is Selective Mutism Awareness Month! Not only that, it’s also SMiRA’s 30th Birthday!
This year we are asking our followers to do ’30 things for 30 years’ to raise awareness and – hopefully – a bit of money for SMiRA. This could be 30 anything – 30 skips with a rope, a 30 minute sponsored silence, bake and sell 30 cupcakes…etc. etc. I’m sure you get the idea!
We appreciate that times are hard for everyone this year and SMiRA is no exception. We were hit hard with a drop in donations last year and if this continues our very existence could come under threat. Every little bit helps……please..
New SMIRA Associate Members
SMiRA’s team is excited to announce our new Associate Members! All are experienced within their own field and add another level of expertise to our team. We look forward to working with them in the days ahead.
Libby Hill – Speech & Language Therapist
Gino Hipolito – Speech & Language Therapist
Angela May – Speech & Language Therapist
Anita McKiernan – Speech & Language Therapist
Lucy Nathanson – Child Therapist
Ruth Perednik – Psychologist
Andy Smith – Autism Advocate
Anna Biavati Smith – Speech & Language Therapist
Marcin Szczerbinski – Psychologist/Lecturer/Researcher
Exciting new SMIRA research! Schools needed now to take part!
Promoting a better understanding of Selective Mutism and its relationship to Autism
There are currently no reliable statistics on the prevalence of Selective Mutism (SM) in English schools. The statistics that exist are up to 15 years old. There is an overwhelming need for up to date statistics on the prevalence of Selective Mutism in children. Further, until recently, Autism and Selective Mutism have been mutually exclusive, meaning that if diagnosed with one, an individual cannot be diagnosed with the other. That said, anecdotally there has been shown to be some overlap of the two conditions. This causes a number of problems for children who are of school age. Not least of which is effective and early treatment of SM which is essential.
Click here for more details of the research and how to take part
SMIRA Presentations
We are excited to announce that to coincide with the October’s Selective Mutism Awareness Month, we have a new series of online presentations coming up.
These are ideal for anyone new to Selective Mutism or those who want to know more. The presentations will be followed by live Q & A sessions.
Details are on our Training Courses page:
Maggie Johnson – Early Years Summit : Understanding and supporting Selective Mutism
We are very pleased to be able to offer the chance to see Maggie Johnson’s speech at the Early Years Summit. Maggie is the co-author of the Selective Mutism Resource Manual.
Find out more!
SMIRA Conference – 21st March 2020
* * * UPDATE: CANCELLED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS * * *
We are extremely sad to have had to make this decision, but in the circumstances feel it is unavoidable. We are hoping to reschedule but no information is available as yet, we will keep you posted.
SMIRA’s 2020 SM Conference
Leicester, Saturday 21st March
£25 per head including buffet lunch
This is a great opportunity to meet with other parents and professionals. There are always plenty of ideas and tips on offer!
Some of the Conference speakers:
Sarah Lyons – SLT : ‘Working as a team to support children with SM and help manage their anxieties.’
Michelle McCauley – SLT : Exploring the roots of SM in pre-school children. ‘Looking at the many branches of anxiety and how this can affect children in everyday life.’
James Lawton – SEN Teacher : SM in the classroom – a teacher’s perspective. ‘How to successfully manage SM in the classroom, how to implement strategies and offer some thoughts about how education staff can be supported to understand SM better.’
Sadiqa Esmail – Parent & Actress : Drama – A perspective on how a creative method can help manage SM and develop character.
Andy Smith – SEND Advocate & Chair, Greater Manchester SM Network : Improving SM Support – ‘A report on the new Greater Manchester SM Network and how a similar group could be set up in other areas.’
SM Family Fun Day
Saturday 1st June 2019 from 10am
Headlands Adventure Centre, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 3PB
Relaxation, SM information & support, bug hunting, kayaking, crayfishing, nature, campfire, support
Bring a picnic, hot and cold drinks available.
The aim is for this to be a relaxed day in an environment where everyone “gets” SM. There will be no expectation to speak but it is hoped that the relaxed atmosphere will help SMers to feel comfortable. There will be opportunities to do a variety of activities including kayaking, crayfishing, bug hunting as well as simply relaxing together. As this is a poular holiday area, there is plenty of accomodation locally for those of you who want to come from further afield!
Adults £8, Children £5, Family of 4 £25 (pre-booking essential)
Email: catherinebates46@gmail.com
Selective Mutism Support in Hampshire & Dorset
SMIRA is very sad to announce that our Founder, Alice Sluckin OBE, passed away in Norwich on 15 February 2019 at the age of 99 years. Over the years she has touched many people’s lives and will be remembered by everyone who knew her with admiration and affection. She leaves two sons and a number of grandchildren.
You can read Alice’s obituary here : Alice Sluckin – Obituary
SMIRA’S Selective Mutism Conference 2019
Date: 30th March 2019
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Venue: St James the Greater Church Hall
St James Terrace, London Road, Leicester LE2 1NA
Price: £24.00 per head, to include buffet lunch and refreshments
The venue is just a short walk from Leicester Railway Station and close to De Montfort Hall and Victoria Park, where parking is available.
Speakers:
Claire Carroll, Senior Practitioner Educational Psychologist with One Education Ltd, Manchester. Claire will be presenting on ASD & SM.
Other presentations will be announced shortly.
Download the booking form:
Booking Form
Open booking form in new window:
Booking Form
EARLY BOOKING IS RECOMMENDED!
SMIRA Christmas Shop Now Open!
Stock up for Christmas with our lovely Christmas cards, gifts and decorations! All profits go to SMIRA.
Christmas Shop
Shine-A-Light Awards 2019 Nominations
For those of you in the UK: Nominations have now opened for the Shine-A-Light Awards 2019, which includes the Katie Rough Memorial Award for Selective Mutism.
Can we please ask you all to think hard about anyone who has gone out of their way to help your child over the last year, or perhaps a member of your team who has gone that extra mile, and consider whether they would be suitable for nomination.
We have until 20th December and you can find out more at:
Pearson Clinical
This is a prestigious award – we need your nominations!
Shine-a-Light Awards
The Shine-a-Light Awards are given annually by Pearson Educational in conjunction with The Communication Trust.
They are open to schools, teams, young people and individuals who champion innovative work and excellent practice in supporting children and young people’s communication development.
This year SMiRA was pleased to be involved with the Katie Rough Memorial Award for innovative, inspirational or excellent practice when working with children or young people affected by Selective Mutism. Katie Rough was selectively mute and just 7 years old when she tragically died and this award was given in her honour. Her parents, Paul & Alison Rough, joined representatives of SMiRA at the Awards Ceremony, hosted by comedian Adam Hess.
The winner of the 2018 Award was announced as Libby Hill, a Speech & Language Therapist who runs an independent practice in Uttoxeter. The award was well deserved as you can see in the following video:
You can also view the video on the Pearson Clinical website or on You Tube.
Pearson Clinical website
You Tube
You can read more about Libby here:
Pearson Clinical – Shine-A-Light – Libby Hill
Highly Commended for the award was Rachel Peck from Cambridgeshire, who was honoured for her work with a selectively mute young adult, even though she had no prior knowledge of the condition. You can read more about her work here:
Pearson Clinical – Shine-A-Light – Rachel Peck
SMIRA CONFERENCE 2018
Our 2018 Conference took place on 21st April in Leicester (after postponement due to the bad weather in March). It was fully attended and was a great success. Many thanks to all contributors and attendees.
News Archives
—
SMIRA’S Selective Mutism Conference 2018
*** UPDATE 28 February 2018 ***
SMIRA’s Committee has been monitoring the weather situation throughout the country and looked hard at the forecast for the next few days. It is with extreme reluctance that the decision has been made to cancel Saturday’s Conference on safety grounds. We do hope you all understand. We hope to re-plan for a later date and will issue more information shortly.
The Conference is now fully booked for this year.
If you already have a booking please see below for details:
Date: 3rd March 2018 *** this date cancelled due to weather forecast (see above) ***
Time: 10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Venue: St James the Greater Church Hall, St James Terrace, London Road, Leicester LE2 1NA
Price: £24.00 per head, to include buffet lunch and refreshments
The venue is just a short walk from Leicester Railway Station and close to De Montfort Hall and Victoria Park, where parking is available.
The Conference is open to parents, professionals and anyone with an interest in Selective Mutism.
Speakers:
Anna Biavati Smith, Speech & Language Therapist and member of the RCSLT Clinical Excellent Network for Selective Mutism. Anna will be presenting on techniques to help lower anxiety.
Claire Neal, Parent & Primary School Teacher. In her dual role Claire is able to see Selective Mutism from both sides and will include tips on how to approach school in her presentation.
* * THE CONFERENCE IS NOW FULLY BOOKED * *
Further information
Further information
The Shine a Light Awards 2018 – The Katie Rough Memorial Award
Do you know someone who has done great work in helping children and young people (age up to 25) with Selective Mutism?
Nominations are now open for this award, which is open to all settings, organisations, services and individuals in England for innovative, inspirational or excellent practice when working with children or young people affected by Selective Mutism.
More information and nomination forms can be found at www.pearsonclinical.co.uk
The closing date is January 12th and those nominated must give their consent and agree to any publicity.
The award was proposed by SMIRA in memory of Katie Rough, who had Selective Mutism and sadly died in January 2017 at the age of just 7.
October is Selective Mutism awareness month
SMIRA’s activities for Awareness Month 2017 will be concentrated on the Facebook group. It is a very active and supportive group, so please feel free to join us there!
SMIRA’s 2017 Christmas Card Competition for Selective Mutism Awareness Month!!
**ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED **
SMIRA hopes to offer Christmas cards for sale this year, as they are a great way of keeping the awareness raising going into the New Year. We know that a number of our families are quite artistic, so we would like members and site visitors to try and design the cards for us!
- Under 7 years
- 7-11 years
- 12-17 years
- Age 18 and over (adult)
The finished cards will be 14cm x 14cm, but designs can be reduced or enlarged as appropriate. Drawings, paintings or photographs are all acceptable and entries should be sent by email to smira.leicester@ntlworld.com by the closing date of 21st October 2017. If you would prefer to send your designs by post, please contact us for details.
Watch this space for news of other competitions!
