Interview with Lucy Nathanson, Author of 3 Children’s Books about Selective Mutism
Books Written by Lucy Nathanson
Do you have a child with selective mutism? Does your child’s voice get stuck in school or with certain people? All three books below written by Lucy Nathanson are excellent resources for both school and home alike. She is also the author of a parents guide titled, Understanding Selective Mutism, A Beginner’s Guide. To learn more about Lucy, visit her website here!
Why Doesn’t Alice Talk at School?
This picture book is a story that is intended to be read to friends and the class about selective mutism. This book begins with a section for adults and the story for children follows. The book is a wonderful tool to help explain to children why Alice doesn’t talk at school. He talks about different things that other children are scared of and then relates it to Alice and her fear of talking at school. The teacher also gives some tips for the children to help support Alice. Why Doesn’t Alice Talk at School is ideal for the classroom or school library!
Why doesn’t Alice talk at school?: A storybook to read to friends and the class about Selective Mutism
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My Name is Ben and I don’t talk sometimes
My Name is Ben and I Don’t Talk Sometimes includes both a children’s story and guidelines for parents and professionals. The story begins with Ben explaining that he is a chatterbox at school but at school, he has trouble talking. He also gets nervous when he has other people over at his house and is scared to talk to his Aunty Sarah. I loved how the author embedded different tips in the storybook such as Ben being relieved that his Aunty Sarah doesn’t ask him a lot of questions, which makes him nervous. The book also incorporates the brave chart and how Ben begins to feel brave to talk with his Aunty Sarah in the room.
My name is Ben and I don’t talk sometimes
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My Name is Eliza and I Don’t Talk at School
My Name is Eliza and I don’t talk at school is another wonderful storybook about a young girl named Eliza. The book begins with a section of “How to Read this Book” and then includes a section of therapeutic strategies such as stimulus fading, reassuring your child, graded exposure in the community, and brave charts. Eliza describes her “big worry feeling” when her voice gets stuck. This third book written by Lucy Nathanson can be an excellent tool for parents, friends and educators.
My name is Eliza and I don’t talk at school
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About Lucy Nathanson, child therapist and author
Lucy Nathanson is a Child Therapist specializing in an anxiety disorder called Selective Mutism (SM). She is the founder of confidentchildren.co.uk. Children with SM are unable to talk in some situations, e.g. at school. Lucy’s passion for helping children with SM was sparked a decade ago when she came across a child who hadn’t spoken for the 2 years he had been at school. Since then, Lucy has published four books on SM, as well as two online courses (one for schools and one for parents) and her YouTube channel has exceeded 220,000 views. She also has an active Facebook page (Confident Children – Selective Mutism Therapy). Lucy works with parents and children internationally, having supported children to overcome SM in England, Australia, Thailand, Ireland, Bulgaria, and more. Her mission is to help children worldwide to overcome selective mutism, free themselves of anxiety, find their voice, and to shine.
To access Lucy’s online course for parents, click here.
Are you a teacher? Check out Lucy’s course for schools here.
