The 1st October marks the start of Selective Mutism Awareness month-something too close to my family to let pass without acknowledging. Lots of you who know me will already know that my lovely little girl E was diagnosed with Selective Mutism a few years ago and that it is something that continues to have a big impact on all our lives. If you’ve never heard of Selective Mutism (as I hadn’t just a few years ago) it is a severe form of speech anxiety which makes communication extremely difficult and in some situations impossible. Research has shown that in children (and adults) with SM, the severe anxiety around communication makes the throat muscles tighten in a freeze response, making it impossible for any sound to come out. My beautiful, funny little girl becomes almost completely mute when trying to communicate with adults outside of her home. Think for a moment how scary it is to send your child out into the world knowing that they are completely unable to independently communicate need, pain, upset or even success. It isn’t the same as being shy, and sadly it isn’t something that children ‘grow out of’. However with the correct support and with proper intervention-it is something that can hopefully be overcome. We’ve come so far but still have a way to go.

So... I have taken on the challenge of running 100miles in October (5.2km a day for 31 days) to raise awareness of Selective Mutism and to hopefully increase understanding of a really misunderstood condition. In doing so I’d also love to raise much needed funds for the fantastic charity Meddwl.org who do an amazing job of supporting children, young people and adults in sharing information and experiences of mental health-all through the medium of Welsh.

If you feel you can, please share, donate, spread the word and help me to potentially help lots of other young people to get early diagnosis and support. If just one other parent reads just one of my posts and thinks ‘that sounds like my child’ it’ll make all those miles worth it. #milesformygirl #selectivemutismawareness #100milltirifeddwl