Monday, March 26, 2007

A chronological table of selective mutism

1877

Adolf Kussmaul described "aphasia voluntaria." It was the first time selective mutism had been described in the literature.(Die Störungen der Sprache. Versuch einer Pathologie der Sprache)

1934

Moritz Tramer used the term "elective mutism." (Elektiver Mutismus bei Kindern)

1973

Stina Hesselman suggested the term "selective mutism." (Selektiv mutism hos barn)

1980

DSM-III was published. It included "Elective Mutism."

1991

Selective Mutism Foundation was founded in the US. Pioneers of non-profit organization of selective mutism.

1992

Selective Mutism Information and Research Association was founded in the UK.

1994

DSM-IV was published. The name "elective mutism" was changed into "selective mutism."

1999

The Selective Mutism Group was founded in the US.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Playing with friends(2)

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Chapter 3 I suffer from severe selective mutism

Playing with friends(2)

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[An serious incident]

One day I played with K, S and a K's friend around K's house. A serious incident happened. When we played outside, I witnessed K's friend injuring badly and being bleeding. But K and S were in other places. I had to told K and S this incident promptly.

But I was at a loss. I was a child with selective mutism. How could I inform them of the incident?

In this way, it took extra time to inform. I felt guilty.

[Too indecisive]

When I played with K in his house, a big problem occurred in the evening. K asked me, "Tomishige, do you continue to play or go back home?" But I couldn't decide. I was so indecisive that it took about 5 - 10 minutes to decide whether I continued to play or not.

[I didn't ask over K]

I was always asked over by K, but I didn't ask over K. To me, my house was my territory. I couldn't bear anyone coming into my house. In addition, if K came into my house, my secret would come out of the closet. That is, I was not a bright nor serious boy.

(To be continued)

Index of SM story

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Playing with friends (1)

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Chapter 3 I suffer from severe selective mutism

Playing with friends (1)

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I sometimes played with K and S in K's house after school. I got mute even in K's house.

I'll write about my memories.

[K's bookshelf]

K showed me his bookshelf. I was surprised to see that. A large number of books were stored in the shelf. But K said, "It's part of my all books." Moreover, his library included even books in English.

K asked me, "Tomishige also has a lot of books, doesn't you?" I didn't have nor read so many books. But peer pressure put on me to nod my head. I felt strong pressure to behave like a bright boy like K. I couldn't relax even when I played with friends.

One day K showed me a gag cartoon in English from his bookshelf. The cartoon was so comical that I could not help smiling.

It was shocking for me. I was a child with selective mutism. I couldn't even smile when I got together with my classmates. But I smiled to see the cartoon in front of K.

K noticed that I was smiling. I was so embarrassed to show my smile.

(To be continued)

Index of SM story

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Japanese literature on selective mutism

You can search Japanese literature on selective mutism on CiNii.

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

CiNii is provided by National Institute of Informatics. CiNii's database includes Japanese literature which aren't listed on PubMed.

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[Related links]

Chinese literature on selective mutism
http://selectivemutism-mm.blogspot.com/2007/05/
chinese-literature-on-selective-mutism.html


Korean literature on selective mutism
http://selectivemutism-mm.blogspot.com/2007/04/
korean-literature-on-selective-mutism.html


Index of SM in Japan

Monday, March 12, 2007

Friend's home

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Chapter 3 I suffer from severe selective mutism

Friend's home

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I made new friends. K and S.

We sometimes played together after school. Our leader was K. He always asked S and me over.

In K's house, we saw his family.

[K's mother]

K's mother was a a full-time homemaker. Besides doing household chores, she was involved in a volunteer activity. When I went to K's house, she was usually hospitable to me.

She was very kind to me even in school situation. For instance, one day we school children went on a school outing with our parents. It was a hot summer day. I was sweating. Seeing me, she handed a wet towel and said, "Please hang this towel, and it will prevent you from getting dehydrated." She usually took such special care of me. Maybe I was viewed as a child whom need special care.

[K's father]

We rarely saw K's father. He was busy at work.

"My father is a professor at ** University," K said. I understood why K was so bright but eccentric.

[K's sister]

K had a younger sister. I and S didn't play with her very much, but she sometimes helped us, for instance, answering the door. I felt that she was a disciplined girl.

I was sensitive about how she thought about me. How did a child feel about a older boy with selective mutism? Did see despise me in her heart for my extremely shyness? Although she didn't take such a cavalier attitude towards me, I could not help being sensitive.

[M, a classmate girl]

M, a classmate girl lived nearby K's house. She was very popular with classmate boys, but I wasn't interested in her. I loved A, a friend of M who was the most violent girl in my class.

(To be continued)

Index of SM story

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Hay fever in Japan

It's hay fever season in Japan. About one out of every six Japanese suffer from hay fever. Some sufferer wear masks or even glasses to relieve their symptoms.

According to the Wikipedia, the main cause of hay fever in the US is ragweed. On the other hand, in Japan is Japanese cedar.

Cedar pollen has been circulating earlier than usual this year because of warm winter.

I'm also a hay fever sufferer. I sometimes wear a mask when I go out. I don't want to open the window for a while.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

New friends

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Chapter 3 I suffer from severe selective mutism

New friends

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A few months after I was promoted to the 5th grade, I had new friends.

It may be odd, because I was satisfied with being alone, as I mentioned earlier. I can't remember why I made friends. Maybe I couldn't decline offer of friendship due to my passive temperament.

I had two friends.

[K]

K was a bright but eccentric boy.

He was a cultured boy and always earned high marks on tests.

His nickname was "Nepal," because he lived in Nepal for a while when he was in the 3rd grade.

He sometimes took proud in his father. "My father is great! He doesn't have cars, because he doesn't want to pollute the air." How ecological father he was! But I thought K also was. I saw that K blew his nose not with his tissues but with his handkerchief!

Not only car. According to the rumor, his family didn't have TV.

[S]

S was a mild and serious boy.

I got acquainted with S in the previous class. Since then, he had been kind to me.

[Trio]

We were good friends. We sometimes played together. Leader was K.

But K and S had many friends other than me. When they played with other children, I was alone.

(To be continued)

Index of SM story

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Pros and cons of school choice system in Japan

Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, introduced school choice system into public elementary and public junior high school education in 2000. It was the first time school choice system had been introduced into public education in Japan.

Since then an increasing number of local governments have begun to adopt the system.

But there is an argument about whether the system should be introduced or not.

[Proponents]

School choice system should be introduced. It will bring two benefits to children and their parents.

The first is that it will give them the range of options.

The second is that it will trigger competition among each schools. Competition will make schools and teachers more attractive and original.

The era of socialism has passed.

[Opponents]

School choice system should not be introduced.

Public education should be equal. But if school choice system is introduced, it will set off competition. That will cause gaps between schools. In fact, in Shinagawa Ward, no students entered into one small junior high school in 2006. Another concern is that competition can cause regional divide in education.

Public education is public goods. It should not be left to market mechanisms.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Lack of friends made me happy (2)

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Chapter 3 I suffer from severe selective mutism

Lack of friends made me happy (2)

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[Positive solitude]

We should think more positively about being alone. There are lots of advantages in solitude. For example, solitude gives us free time.

I think that there are two types of people. Those who feel pleasure to mingle with their friends, those who feel pleasure to be alone.

But most teachers and parents teach their children that it's miserable to be alone and children should make a lot of friends. So, almost all children, including those who feel pleasure to be alone in nature, believe that way. Such myth inflict pain on children with no friends.

Why should children make friends? I think that they impose specific value to children.

No one may sympathize with that idea.

But I believed that way. I didn't at all want to make friends.

[After that]

Lastly, I'll write a bit about my life after I graduated from elementary school.

As I get older, my above thought got stronger and stronger. Some teachers advised me, "You may as well have friends. If you have any friends, they can be treasures for you throughout your life." But I didn't change my mind.

Especially when I was in junior high school, I thought that I should not have had friends, because many teachers said, "Don't be influenced by others if you want to pass the college entrance exam."

But when I was in college, I wavered. I heard that students who didn't have friends couldn't land a job. So, I thought something like, "Should I make friends to land a job?"

Maybe I was an eccentric person.

(To be continued)

Index of SM story