Halloween is right around the corner! For many children, Halloween is a fun night to dress up, collect candy, and yell “Trick or Treat.” However, for those with Selective Mutism, Halloween can be a very stressful and anxiety-provoking night.
Below are three tips to help prepare your individual with Selective Mutism to change trick-or-treating into a positive Halloween experience.
- Talk about it. Many individuals with selective mutism like to be prepared and informed about exactly what they experience. This conversation may discuss seeing other individuals in costumes, walking past unfamiliar individuals, walking up to unfamiliar houses, and holding out their basket for candy to strangers. Some costumes can be pretty fun, but others are kind of scary. It may be helpful to explain the difference between make-believe and fantasy versus reality. For example, the peer in costume may look like a zombie, but it’s your cousin. This conversation can help take some of the anxiety and the unfamiliarity out of this Halloween experience.
- Make a plan. In addition to knowing what is about to happen, individuals with selective mutism work well when a plan is in place. This may include making a map of the neighborhood, planning your trick or treating route, Or even discussing who you’ll be trick or treating with. Sometimes going with familiar people can ease some of the anxiety that they may experience.
- Practice. For those who can be verbal, rehearsing what to say and practicing going up to their door or reading a script may help ease some of their concerns. For those non-verbal, practicing holding their bucket out to collect the candy would be very helpful. One site recommends handing out a card with the words trick or treats on it. This would serve as a way for the individual to still engage in trick-or-treating while spreading awareness of selective mutism. This would also decrease the expectation and the pressure for this individual to speak at this time.
In summary, talking about what to expect, making a plan, and practicing in advance can help reduce the overall stress and anxiety often associated with Halloween. When trick-or-treating this year, we encourage you to think about these three simple tips. We promise it will make the holiday a more positive experience.
For additional ways to beat Halloween anxiety this year, check out our Tricks and Treats for a Successful Halloween blog post!
Elisa Shipon-Blum DO, is the President and Director of the Selective Mutism Anxiety and Related Disorders Treatment Center (SMart Center) located in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. She is the Founder and Director Emeritus of the Selective Mutism Association (SMA) and a Director of the Selective Mutism Research Institute (SMRI), a foundation established to study Dr. Shipon-Blum’s theories and treatment methodologies on Selective Mutism. In addition, Dr Shipon-Blum is Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology & Family Medicine at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is a board certified physician who specializes in Selective Mutism.
Dr. Shipon-Blum practices in Jenkintown, PA, and has developed the evidenced-based Social Communication Anxiety Treatment (S-CAT)® from her years studying and researching individuals with Selective Mutism. She consults worldwide with families, treating professionals, and educators, and has helped thousands of children from around the world overcome Selective Mutism. Based on her successful S-CAT® program, Dr. E also created CommuniCamp™, an intensive group treatment program for children with Selective Mutism, social anxiety, and extreme shyness.
Dr. Shipon-Blum lectures throughout the country on the topic of Selective Mutism, performs school evaluations and training for treating professionals, educators, and parents, and is considered one of the world’s leading experts in the treatment, research, and understanding of Selective Mutism. She has been a featured expert on national television programs such as 20/20, CNN, Inside Edition, and Good Morning America, as well as other local, national, and international television and radio broadcasts. In addition, she has been featured in TIME Magazine, People Magazine, and has interviewed with newspapers such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, San Diego Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Palm Beach Post.
Dr. Shipon-Blum is presently involved in multiple collaborative research projects with top researchers and clinicians. In addition to her research she has written numerous articles and books on Selective Mutism and anxiety including ‘Easing School Jitters for the Selectively Mute Child,’ ‘The Ideal Classroom Setting for the Selectively Mute Child,’ ‘Understanding Katie,’ ‘Supplement Treatment Guide Book to Understanding Katie‘, ‘Selective Mutism Summer Vacation & Back to School Guide‘ and ‘ Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety Disorder in School .’ She has also produced numerous DVDs on the topics of treatment and assessment of Selective Mutism, and the development of school accommodations and interventions for mute children.
Dr. Shipon-Blum (or Dr. E as her patients refer to her) prides herself on being ‘down to earth’ and ‘easy to speak to’, and resides with her family in the northeast suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Notably, she is also the mother of a child, Sophie, who suffered from and overcame Selective Mutism and is the inspiration for the work she does each day.
