You learn something new every single day!
The inclusion of a student (we will call them Student A) described as (elective)mute in the regular Year 11 careers guidance interviews list, created a flurry of pre-meeting preparation, not least because in all my 22+ years of careers guidance practice, I had not come across this specific need.
Chatting with colleagues in the office to see if they had any experience to share, proved that I was not alone in this gap of experience, however I was reminded that careers guidance is as much about helping our clients to understand their own level of career readiness and to enable them to develop their own strategies as ultimately, we are equipping individuals to make their own choices, manage transitions or change and to be effective in their decision making.
Student A had completed the usual pre-meeting questionnaire and indicated that they would find the use of text / chat helpful, with mum also being present. As we were well into the lockdown arrangements of virtual careers meetings via Teams, this would be easy enough to arrange. It was also suggested that the contracting part of the meeting would be important in establishing whether they (Student A and mum) would prefer the camera / video switched off, and to clarify expectations of the intervention.
This in itself raised another issue, in that this Careers Adviser does rather rely on the visual support of being able to see her clients, as she lip-reads due to her own partial hearing loss, and like most careers advisers, also looks for the non-verbal cues in communication (thus we can pick up on situations or conflicts where, for example, we may not actually articulate what we actually mean to say). Professionally speaking it is usually me who adapts to others’ needs however.
Reading up about selective mutism via Google lead to many articles around health-related information. Further preparation included contacting the SEN support worker who was able to clarify whether the student was mute in some situations, but not in others. I wanted to understand more, so downloaded “Selective Mutism in Our Own Words: Experiences in Childhood and Adulthood” onto my Kindle and read how this is an anxiety disorder where ‘speech rules’ become part of the norm for the sufferer, and how there can often be other associative disorders. At one point whilst reading, I was actually in tears, recognising the isolation factors that often occur, and often through lack of understanding (by others). The student questionnaire also revealed that due to various mental health issues, including recently diagnosed autism, Student A was on a much-reduced GCSE timetable taking the core subjects (maths English Lit/Lang Biology) – however it was also clear this student has good academic potential (mock grades 6 – 8) plus was finding the lockdown remote learning situation a comfortable one to manage.
In the event when the Teams meeting opened up, there was less direct – or visibly seen -participation by the student.
Mum spoke directly on her child’s behalf, with moments where she would need to wait for a written response or question – the use of text /chat was less easy to do for them using a kindle. (the school had previously moved to a paperless system) and similarly there was not a camera / video option at their end of the process. The school careers co-ordinator was also able to listen in and supply additional updates around the 6th form application process, but also sent a quick email to the Head of 6ththus we were also able to get confirmation of the likelihood of this pathway being open to Student A. This was effectively a mini multi- agency conference where the Teams technology proved to be an advantage to the situation. Prior to the meeting, I had also caught up with the student’s support worker who also highlighted some specific skills and interests.
We explored the choice of A-Levels – looking at English Literature, Biology and Psychology. Several ‘what if?’ concerns were raised by mum on behalf of Student A. What if Psychology was ‘too close to home’, given the experiences in the context of their own mental health? Well, this may be true but perhaps an empathy with the subject context might also be helpful. Understanding the nature of the subject and the type of work might suit this student’s analytical nature; creative thinking and problem-solving skills. I learned that anxiety tends to generate such ‘what if’ questions but these also opened debate and options: What if more time was needed to achieve the required grades in the 6th form? Yes, there is a possibility of taking additional study time, such as further GCSE alongside A-Levels (3rd year in 6th form) – if needed and this would be discussed within school.
We discussed skills relating to subjects: English – journalism – magazine help pages – what else could Student A consider that used writing skills? Psychology and Biology could point towards health associated careers, with occupational therapy being considered too, reported Mum, allowing Student A’s creativity to be used perhaps.
I felt it was important to encourage Student A to articulate the positives and what they are capable of, rather than dwell on what if this scenario or the other scenario happens: ‘would only taking two A-Levels put me at disadvantage in life?’ was scribbled on the pad for Mum to ask me. Well, not really, as much would be taken into consideration around the learning history situation when applying to further training, and in any case, what about those who students don’t do A-Levels or follow other pathways?
I also introduced Higher Apprenticeships as an option where degree level study can be achieved, and this was clearly a welcome bit of news for Mum – and I also highlighted benefits of virtual work experience that is now becoming an option due to Covid.
In summary, we confirmed the agreed action steps – the need to research the different job ideas linked to the A Level subject choices, using prospects.ac.uk and other sources; look into a way of recording and organising thoughts on the different options – such as mind mapping ( this would create a sense of order, help to follow questions and answers and offer opportunity to use analysis and communication skills) and also alleviate anxiety; to discuss the differences between GCSE and ’Level expectations with the Biology teacher; investigate Higher Apprenticeships. Referral was made to UCAS and other pages covering how universities can support special needs such as autism, as this would help them to see that they are not alone in their situation.
Mum announced ‘there’s a smile now’ which was a welcome bit of feedback in an interaction which certainly proved challenging in terms of using the normal senses to gather insights and enables appropriate responses.
Unusually, feedback on this careers meeting was given very immediately, with the student contacting the school careers co-ordinator. A very thoughtful action, which suggests this student will go far in life. I wish them well and look forward to seeing progress over the next couple of years.
“I just wanted to say thank you so much to both you and Sue for the careers meeting. I learnt a lot and I gained everything I had hoped for from the meeting and more. I now have lots of resources and a place to start with my research when previously I had no idea where to begin. I am also more confident writing my application now I know the sorts of things to include. Thank you for all your efforts in arranging the meeting and for the useful pieces of information you added to the meeting and for contacting the sixth form team to get information for us.”
Sue Day
Senior Careers Practitioner (RCDP)