A Japanese essay about selective mutism written by a teacher

I read a Japanese essay about selective mutism Hanaseru youninatta Masaesan (Ms. Masae gets to be able to speak), written in 1983. The author is Yasunori Ishikawa, a former teacher of elementary school.

The book is characterized by showing teacher's point of view about selective mutism. We can hardly find books or blogs written by teachers. Many Japanese books about selective mutism is written by therapists. Many Japanese blogs about selective mutism is written by people who suffered (or suffer) from selective mutism or their mothers.

The author administered controversial " treatment." He sometimes forced Masae to speak. When she wouldn't speak, he shouted at her or hit her head as hard as he could.

As a teacher, the author seemed to think that he needed to set goals (for instance, speaking in a social setting) and made children achieve them even if they reject that. That's education. But therapists don't think that way. They emphasize acceptance.

The author also tried to conduct comprehensive educational activity to open Masae's heart and recommended her to read books to promote her intellectual development. I think that is estimable.

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New school life

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Chapter 4 Selective mutism and my junior high school years

New school life

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I entered D public junior high school.

There were three elementary schools in D junior high school district.

a) A elementary school: I went to this school until I transferred to C elementary school.
b) B elementary school
c) C elementary school: I graduated from this school.
d) D junior high school: Most children who graduated from A, B, and C elementary school go on to this school.

So, I enrolled in the same school as my old classmates.

But actually I wanted to go to another school if possible. I thought that I might overcome my selective mutism if I went to a school where no one knew me.

In addition, I had a concern. If I went to D junior high school, I would meet students who once bullied me in A elementary school.

[New classmates]

I met new classmates.

Surprisingly, they included K and S, friends of mine. So, my anxiety about school was reduced a little. I guessed that Y, my former homeroom teacher, took into account my anxious temperament.

More surprisingly, they also included my former classmates who once bullied me when I had gone to A elementary school. But their attitude towards me changed significantly. They didn't bullied me, but instead they were friendly to me.

Besides, M, a former friend of mine, was also in the same class. He remembered me. But M and I didn't get friendly with each other as we used to be. M was friends with other students. I was also friends with K and S.

(To be continued)

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Japanese studies of selective mutism (1950 - 1959)

As far as I know, the first Japanese study on selective mutism is "Kuchi wo Kikanai Kodomo" ("Children who don't speak"), published in March 1951 in Jidou Shinri to Seishin Eisei (Child psychology and mental health). The author is Shiro Takagi, who worked in National Kokufudai Hospital.

The literature is based on an examination conducted by Takagi and his colleagues. They examined mental health of elementary school children from January 1949 to March 1950.

Takagi also wrote a study that mentions selective mutism. The one is "Shogakko niokeru Seishin Eiseijou no Mondai nitsuite" ("On mental health problem in elementary school") published in December 1951 in Gakko Hoken no Kenkyu (Studies on school health). The other is "Mondaiji no Hassei Genninron" ("Etiology of children with mental disorders"), published in 1952 in Ijouji (Chindren with mental disorders).

Shiro Nakagawa wrote a study "Sankankogyochiiki niokeru Gakudo no Seishinhoken Igakuteki Kenkyu" ("A psychiatric research into school children in mountainous industrial area") in 1952 in Ijouji (Chindren with mental disorders).

In 1956 Takeshi Goto wrote a case study "Jochosyogai niyoru Kanmokuji nitaisuru Shinriryoho no Ichijirei" ("Psychotherapeutic experience with a mute child") in Osakashiritsudaigaku Kaseigakubu Kiyo (Reports of the science of living). Goto used Allen, H.F.'s non-directive play therapy and succeeded in treating selective mutism.

In 1959 a noteworthy study was published in Kitakanto Igaku (The Kitakanto Medical Journal) . Kikuo Uchiyama wrote "Shoni Kanmokusho nikansuru Kenkyu" ("Studies on the Childhood Mutism"). As far as I know, it is one of the most full-scale study of selective mutism in Japan. His study consists of two studies. The one is about factors of the symptom formation. The other is about therapeutic procedures.

In the 60's more studies of selective mutism were published.

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Selective mutism and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

I found an intriguing Japanese essay Boku no toriatsukai setsumeisho - Mama ha shinmai therapist (An instruction manual of my son - The mother is a novice at therapist).

The writer is a child therapist who have a selectively mute son with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a genomic disorder.

I know that there have already been some studies about genomic disorder and selective mutism. The one is about an association with fragile X syndrome and selective mutism [1]. The other is about a deletion of the short arm of chromosome 18 with selectively mute child [2].

But I first hear a child with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome who is colonized by selective mutism.

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[1] Hagerman RJ, Hills J, Scharfenaker S, Lewis H (1999). Fragile X syndrome and selective mutism. American Journal of Medical Genetics. 83(4), 313-317.

[2] Grosso S, Cioni M, Pucci L, Morgese G, Balestri P. (1999). Selective mutism, speech delay, dysmorphisms, and deletion of the short arm of chromosome 18: a distinct entity? Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 67, 830-831.

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Graduation

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Chapter 3 I suffer from severe selective mutism

Graduation

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[School memories]

Before graduation, we school children had to write an essay about school memories. The essay would appear in yearbook.

Most classmates had pleasant memories and wrote them. But I didn't have such memories. I don't know whether that was because I suffered from selective mutism.

In the end, I wrote a memory of Gasshuku (a Japanese word that means "lodging together"). Although Gasshuku was a painful event for me, I wrote that Gasshuku was one of the most pleasant memory.

[Graduation ceremony]

The graduation ceremony was held in gymnasium in late March. We received our diploma from principal.

Then we returned to classroom. Our homeroom teacher said a final farewell to us.

And lastly, we handed carnations to our teacher one at a time. Handing carnations, almost all classmates said "Arigatou gozaimashita" (Thank you very much) to him.

But only I handed a carnation to him without uttering a word. I also wanted to thank him, but I couldn't.

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In this way, I graduated from elementary school.

I suffered from selective mutism when I was the fourth grade. Since then, three years had passed. But my mutism didn't disappear. Even worsened.

I went on to junior high school without curing selective mutism.

(To be continued to the next chapter)

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