By Dr. Elisa Shipon Blum & Dr. Jenna Blum

When supporting children, teens, or adults with Selective Mutism (SM) or social communication challenges, the key is always to respect their baseline stage of communication on the Social Communication Bridge® 🌉.

Some individuals are most comfortable nonverbally, others are transitioning into speech, and still others are verbal but need scaffolding to expand their responses. The Write/Show and Write/Read strategies are two powerful tools within the Social Communication Anxiety Treatment® (S-CAT®) model that meet individuals exactly where they are while reducing anxiety and cognitive load. 

💡 Why These Strategies Work 

For individuals with SM, thinking and processing demands can spike anxiety. When asked a question, they may freeze, not because they don't know the answer, but because the pressure to retrieve, process, and verbalize in real time overwhelms their system.

The Write/Show and Write/Read approaches:

  • ✅ Minimize the need to think on the spot ✨
  • ✅ Use visuals to anchor focus 🎨
  • ✅ Adapt to every stage of the Social Communication Bridge® 🌉 

✍️👀 Write/Show: Expression Without the Pressure 

With Write/Show, the individual writes down or draws a response and then shows it to another person.

Stage 1 (Nonverbal): Write 'yes' or 'no' ✅ ❌ or circle an option.
Stage 2 (Transitional Verbal): Write a word or phrase, show it, and whisper it softly 🗯️.
Stage 3 (Verbal): Write, show, then say it aloud 🗣️.

This strategy reduces processing because the answer is already on paper. It also provides a visual scaffold that makes the interaction more predictable and safe. 

✍️📖 Write/Read: From Visual to Verbal 

With Write/Read, the individual writes their response and then reads it aloud.

Stage 1 (Nonverbal): Point to the written word, adult reads it aloud 👩‍🏫.
Stage 2 (Transitional Verbal): Whisper-read the written word 🔉.
Stage 3 (Verbal): Read confidently, then expand into more natural conversation 💬.

This bridges nonverbal to verbal communication, since the words are already prepared, lowering anxiety and supporting fluency. 

👀 Visuals as Anchors for Communication 

Both strategies emphasize the power of visuals. For many children with SM who also experience sensory challenges like auditory filtering, visuals provide:

  • ✨ Clarity
  • ✨ Predictability
  • ✨ A calming focus point

By grounding responses in visuals, the individual can focus on sharing instead of juggling multiple cognitive demands. 

🤝 Respecting the Baseline Stage 

It's essential to never push beyond comfort. For some, just showing a card is progress. For others, reading aloud feels manageable. For verbal communicators, writing is a launchpad for elaboration.

Example: 

  • Without scaffolding: "What's your favorite color?" → ❌ silence.
  • With Write/Read: Writes 'blue' 🔵 → reads 'blue' → expands to 'Blue, I just got new blue sneakers 👟.' 

🌍 Real-World Applications 

Classrooms 🏫: Use Write/Show cards for participation.

Restaurants 🍔: Write down an order, show it, then practice reading aloud.

Playdates 🎲: Write/Read "Would You Rather" questions to spark peer interaction.

Therapy 🎯: Integrate Write/Read into Common Questions or Sandwich Questions™ for give-and-take dialogue. 

🌟 Final Thoughts 

The Write/Show and Write/Read strategies may look simple, but they are transformative. They:

  • 💙 Minimize anxiety
  • 🧠 Reduce processing demands
  • 🎨 Provide visual anchors
  • 🌉 Respect the Social Communication Bridge®

With these tools, children and teens with Selective Mutism can engage, express, and progress toward confident communication.