Chinese literature on selective mutism

You can search Chinese literature on selective mutism.

http://search.cnki.net/index.aspx

As long as I know, selective mutism has been studied at least since 1979 in China.

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[related links]

http://ci.nii.ac.jp/en/
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/

CiNii is provided by National Institute of Informatics. You can search Japanese Literature on selective mutism.

CAMPUSMON.COM

CAMPUSMON.COM is Korean site. You can search Korean Literature on selective mutism.

Fatherless family

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Chapter 3 I suffer from severe selective mutism

Fatherless family

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[Latchkey child]

As I mentioned earlier, my father passed away when I was the fourth grade. A few month after my father's funeral, my family bought a new house, and moved from my relatives' house to there.

When I went home after school, my mother was at work. I was alone. I became a latchkey child.

[No friends]

Even after I moved to a new house, I didn't (couldn't) make friends. Although there were some children around my house, I avoided them. When I happened to see them, I got mute.

[After-school lessons]

Before my father passed away, I went to Shodo (Japanese Calligraphy) and swimming school after school. But after my father's passing, I didn't.

I sometimes asked for permission from my mother to go to cram school. Some classmates went to cram school and many of them had a good school record. I was envious of them. But she didn't give me permission.

I didn't know why she didn't give me permission, but I supposed that was because my fatherless family didn't have enough money.

[Staying indoor]

Before my father passed away, we family sometimes went on trips on weekend. But after my father's passing, we didn't. I supposed that was because my mother was too tired to go on trips because of work and household chores. Or my family couldn't afford to go on trips.

So, we didn't go out even on weekend. We stayed indoor.

In this way, I didn't mingle with friends. I stayed indoor most of the time.

(To be continued)

Index of SM story

Japanese essays about selective mutism

I read a Japanese essay book Maketara Akan!, written by Yuriko Ishikawa and Mari Ishikawa.

Mari was a woman who once suffered from selective mutism more than 10 years. Yuriko was her mother. The book is about their fight against selective mutism and impulse to suicide.

There is another essay book about selective mutism in Japan. Kimino Tonarini, written by Kayo Sakura who also suffered from selective mutism.

I suppose that it is Japanese culture to publish essays about selective mutism. We can find many Japanese essays written by SM sufferer, ex sufferer and their mothers in the blogsphere. Among them, Selective Mutism - My Memories is the first English blog that is translated from Japanese. :)

Index of SM in Japan

Commemorative writings

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Chapter 3 I suffer from severe selective mutism

Commemorative writings

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At the end of the fifth grade, my homeroom teacher had us write compositions about our school life. Then he had us gather them and edit "commemorative writings" of our class.

We managed to complete editing them before the last day of the final school term.

[My composition]

I read my composition several years ago. I felt embarrassed. It was pretty immature. But other classmates' ones were mature. Compositions reflected children's mental maturity.

I had felt that I was more immature than children of the same age since entering kindergarten. Even when I was promoted to the fifth grade, I was still immature as ever.

[Cartoon of me?]

The cover of the commemorative writings was cartoon drawn by M, a classmate girl who lived nearby a friend of mine K's house. She draws classmates presenting their compositions.

In her cartoon, one anxious boy was drawn. He waited his turn to present his compositions, but his heart was beating fast. By his appearance, he seemed shy. Some classmates said, "Maybe this shy boy was Tomishige."

(To be continued)

Index of SM story