Can you help to save SMiRA?
Since its inception as a Registered Charity over 31 years ago SMiRA has prided itself on offering free information and advice to those with an interest in Selective Mutism. We have always operated on a shoe-string budget, supported by donations and fundraising by members. We are run by a team of passionate, dedicated volunteers which includes parents, health professionals and those with SM themselves.
SMiRA is much more than ‘just a facebook group’ or a website. We are currently conducting important and much-needed research. In the UK we feed into other communication-based organisations and eventually into Government, as the country’s leading SM charity. Further afield, we have supported new groups in other countries, some where SM may have only recently become recognised, and we are a respected source of information worldwide.
All this has come at a cost. Following Covid and the more recent cost-of-living crisis our funds have been depleted, with donations and fundraising dropping to a trickle. If SMiRA is to survive beyond this year we need to act NOW! Following a crisis meeting of our team, we will be designating April as a main month of fundraising, when we hope members will join with us by organising events or pushing for donations. Needless to say, we are happy to accept funds at any time and you are very soon likely to see posts across our groups setting out the various ways you can help – some of them even come at no cost to yourselves!
Our Fundraising sub-group (SMIRA – Fundraising sub-group | Facebook) now contains a list of activities that might be suitable for those wishing to organise events. We would also encourage members to consider making monthly donations to SMiRA, whatever the amount. These can be set up via our Donate page
Statement from SMiRA regarding the use of the term ‘Situational Mutism’
Recently, SMiRA has had a number of enquiries about whether the term “situational mutism” is now preferred over “Selective Mutism”. We are aware of some grassroots change and some trainers advising the use of ‘situational” as the preferred term.
We are releasing this statement to clarify our position, as the UK’s national charity for selective mutism.
Currently, “Selective Mutism” is the official medical term which MUST therefore be used in all diagnostic reporting and signposting. “Situational mutism” is not a recognised diagnosis and may make it harder for affected families to find support groups, access disability benefits and so on.
“Selective” is a medical term which means “some of the time; in some situations” as opposed to “pervasive” which means “all of the time; in all situations”. This is a different use of the root word “select” and does not imply “selecting” meaning making a choice.
It takes many years for labels like these to be changed by the World Health Organisation and other diagnostic manuals and is not done lightly. Whilst selective mutism remains the official term, it should be used. An explanation can be given to those who don’t understand, that SM is “situational” but they should then also be advised on the true meaning of “selective” as used in this context.
The use of different, unofficial names and labels for Selective Mutism, makes it harder to raise awareness, campaign, and educate people in how they can support people with the condition.
Until such time as there is an official change of name, SMiRA’s strong recommendation is the use of the official term ‘Selective Mutism’. People may wish to add “sometimes known as situational mutism”, especially if this is the family’s preference.
To download a pdf copy of this statement, please click here
SMIRA statement regarding the use of the terms ‘reluctant speaker’ and ‘reluctant talker’
“SMIRA has noticed an increase in the terms ‘reluctant speaker’ and ‘reluctant talker’ being used as synonyms for Selective Mutism. We find the use of these terms is unhelpful, as they may be misleading, promoting the mistaken belief that people with SM may be refusing to speak, rather than being unable to do so.
Many of our families feel that ‘Selective Mutism’ as a name for the condition is not ideal, as there is still confusion over the word ‘Selective’. In SM, ‘Selective’ is being used as a medical term to mean affecting some things and not others. It does not refer to selecting, as in making a choice. This is an important distinction.
The name ‘Selective Mutism’ has international recognition and diagnostic criteria within the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM 5) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 11).
SMIRA believes that until such time as the name is changed officially it should be the term used. There is increasing evidence from research to suggest that SM varies widely in complexity, in how it presents and in the factors that contribute to its occurrence. It has become clear that SM cannot be simply divided into types or described as a spectrum and therefore all cases that fit the diagnostic criteria should be entitled ‘Selective Mutism’ or ‘SM’. However, at present, we will continue to use the descriptors ‘Low Profile Selective Mutism’ and ‘High Profile Selective Mutism’ as defined in the Selective Mutism Resource Manual 2nd Ed., Handout 3, Johnson & Wintgens (2016). SM is currently still an often overlooked and misunderstood condition, so we feel that the use of these terms helps to ensure that it is clear that young people do not have to be completely silent in their challenging spaces to “qualify” as having SM.
Over the past thirty years SMIRA has striven to raise awareness of SM as an anxiety disorder in which the person is unable to speak (either at all or freely) rather than refusing to speak, and to dispel myths and challenge misinformation around the nature of SM whenever possible, and we will continue to do so vigorously into the future.”
To download a pdf copy of this statement, please click here
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