Speech therapist who grew up with selective mutism shares about challenges faced by children with this social phobia
- Wincy Cheng Wing-yin is founder of Selective Mutism Association of Hong Kong and has published a kid’s book based on her childhood experiences with the condition
- Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we’ve written
As a kid, Wincy Cheng struggled to express herself in certain social situations. Photo: Xiaomei Chen“Good morning! How are you?” Simple questions like these caught Wincy Cheng Wing-yin off guard when she was a kid.
Despite being talkative at home, she often found herself breaking into a sweat in other social settings.
“Growing up, I often faced misunderstandings and missed out on opportunities due to my inability to speak. The fear and worries took away my voice,” recalled Cheng, who now works as a speech therapist.
It wasn’t until she met a pupil with selective mutism while teaching at a kindergarten that she discovered her own diagnosis.
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Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder that usually affects children. It describes when a person is unable to speak for over a month in certain social situations, even if they speak at other times.
“Their triggers could be strangers, new environments, or scenarios that make them feel anxious,” said Cheng, who has five years of experience with children with special educational needs (SEN).
After teaching for seven years, Cheng quit to pursue a master’s degree in speech and hearing therapy. In 2021, she started the Selective Mutism Association of Hong Kong to raise awareness about this condition. This March, she published a Cantonese children’s book called ManMan Doesn’t Speak: Understanding Selective Mutism based on her childhood experiences.
“I hope to increase awareness and understanding of SM to encourage early intervention for children ... and provide them with the necessary support,” Cheng said.
What is selective mutism?
In Hong Kong, selective mutism is recognised as one of the nine types of special educational needs that affect a total of about 59,000 schoolchildren.
Cheng noted some common factors behind selective mutism: “Children with SM are often cautious and reluctant to try new things out of fear of failure. And a family history of anxiety and overprotective parenting styles can contribute to the condition.”
The speech therapist noticed a rise in selective mutism cases during the Covid pandemic, which likely heightened anxiety levels among parents and children.
The fear of speaking can make it difficult for children to engage in classroom activities, and they might become targets of bullying due to their struggle to vocalise their thoughts.
Cheng noted: “The golden time for treatment is ... typically before the age of five, as it has potential to alleviate the impact of anxiety. Usually, the phobia could be improved within nine months for younger children.”
Some think this phobia improves on its own with time, but that is not always the case.
“If left untreated, the social phobia of speaking may manifest in other ways as people grow up,” Cheng said.
For Cheng, her social phobia still affects her as she didn’t receive treatment as a child.
“I still feel nervous at times in casual conversations ... There was a time when I didn’t dare to say [I need to get off] on the minibus ... and would turn to the MTR or bus to avoid communication with the drivers,” she said.
Encouragement is key
After publishing her first book based on her childhood experiences, Cheng plans to release a second book to address the difficulties that kids with selective mutism face in primary school with ways to help them in class.
She pointed out that most teachers in Hong Kong were often clueless about how to help these pupils.
“The most common [plan] I have heard of is the exemption of the oral exam, but it is not the best way to help as it might make the students feel more unwilling to speak,” the former educator noted.
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She suggested having regular learning groups so that pupils feel more comfortable with peers they are familiar with. Teachers can also inform students that they will not be randomly chosen to answer questions.
“My fear of speaking only improved when I was in secondary school, thanks to my outgoing friends and supportive teachers who encouraged me to express myself,” recalled Cheng, adding that the protagonist of her first book was named after one of her best friends.
“People with SM usually have high standards for themselves as they fear failure ... But it is OK to make mistakes as you always have a second chance to try.”
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