Help Mason find his voice
Spende geschützt
Our son, Mason, has been diagnosed with selective mutisim (SM) and social anxiety through the Seattle Autism center. A diagnosis usually means that you have found the help and support that your child needs. For us, that has not been the case. There isn’t any funding for us and I have yet to find someone locally that specializes in helping kids with SM. We have tried several different counselors in our area but have not found the right fit. Through my years of researching I have always had my eye on a place in New York that specializes in treating kids with SM with great success. I have looked into going but both financially and logistically it was always out of our reach. However, recently I have been made aware of a treatment center just across the border in Vancouver, BC. These psychologists actually trained at the SM center in New York and have started a similar program in Vancouver (https://cornerstonepsychology.ca/camp-brave-2017/ ) . I was able to get our son, Mason, enrolled into the camp for this coming summer. We are hoping to start him in some sessions within the next month or two to get him better prepared for the week of camp. For us this is financially out of our reach but after talking with several different people everyone wanted to help and suggested I set up a go fund me account. Asking for help is definitely out of my comfort zone but this is such an amazing opportunity and I don’t want to let me pride get in the way of that. For the week at camp it is $2500 CND and then for each “lead in” session it is $200 CND. We have been told to plan for at least 4 lead in sessions and depending on how things go we might need to do more. We will also be needing to stay downtown Vancouver with Mason that week. It is a day camp and they have sessions for us parents aswell. They will be teaching us ways to help bring what Mason has been learning at camp back home and to school. Below I will share a little about, Mason, and how we came to this diagnosis. I will also share some links if you are interested in learning more about SM. We are so grateful for all the help and support we have already received.
When Mason was 3 years old and attending preschool we started to notice that he was not talking at school or in public. There were maybe a handful of adults and kids he would be able to talk to and only in certain settings. Half way through his first year of preschool I decided to have him evaluated through the school district. He qualified for services and he started his second year of preschool at the developmental preschool offered through the school district. There he worked with a speech therapist a couple times a week. His teachers and the help staff were all so amazing with him and although he still did not talk through that school year he made a lot of progress in other areas. In kindergarten he continued to work with a speech therapist and part way through the year he was able to talk with her. He is now in first grade and is still able to talk to his speech therapist and is able to talk with one or two others if he is with his speech therapist and away from the other classmates. It is hard to watch Mason struggle in this area. The older he gets the more it affects his ability to make friends. You can see the struggle inside him. He wants to be over there playing and talking with all the kids but he doesn’t know how to get there. We are hopeful that with this opportunity that is in front of us and with the continued support of the teachers and other staff members at his school that he will learn ways to overcome his anxieties.
At home Mason is a talkative, inquisitive, goofy boy. He loves to make people laugh. He has a big heart and is very empathetic. You will often find him playing police, riding his bike, or playing minecraft. He also loves playing sports and being a part of a team. =) We love him.
https://childmind.org/article/quick-facts-on-selective-mutism/
https://www.anxietybc.com/parenting/selective-mutism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_qeJWkkwHU&feature=youtu.be
When Mason was 3 years old and attending preschool we started to notice that he was not talking at school or in public. There were maybe a handful of adults and kids he would be able to talk to and only in certain settings. Half way through his first year of preschool I decided to have him evaluated through the school district. He qualified for services and he started his second year of preschool at the developmental preschool offered through the school district. There he worked with a speech therapist a couple times a week. His teachers and the help staff were all so amazing with him and although he still did not talk through that school year he made a lot of progress in other areas. In kindergarten he continued to work with a speech therapist and part way through the year he was able to talk with her. He is now in first grade and is still able to talk to his speech therapist and is able to talk with one or two others if he is with his speech therapist and away from the other classmates. It is hard to watch Mason struggle in this area. The older he gets the more it affects his ability to make friends. You can see the struggle inside him. He wants to be over there playing and talking with all the kids but he doesn’t know how to get there. We are hopeful that with this opportunity that is in front of us and with the continued support of the teachers and other staff members at his school that he will learn ways to overcome his anxieties.
At home Mason is a talkative, inquisitive, goofy boy. He loves to make people laugh. He has a big heart and is very empathetic. You will often find him playing police, riding his bike, or playing minecraft. He also loves playing sports and being a part of a team. =) We love him.
https://childmind.org/article/quick-facts-on-selective-mutism/
https://www.anxietybc.com/parenting/selective-mutism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_qeJWkkwHU&feature=youtu.be
Organisator
Starla Friesen
Organisator
Lynden, WA
