My son does not speak

The mother of the child M.B. came to the Family Centre asking anxiously for the specialist, and when she was met it emerged that her child, aged 9, had been through a traumatic event during the war: the death of his cousins, the amputation of his aunt's hand and the wounding of his sister before his eyes. Afterwards the child went missing for two days until he was found at a neighbour's house. The child was in a very bad state: he refused to speak to anyone at home or at school, and he suffered from involuntary bedwetting and a decline in his school attainment. When the child was met he remained silent for about an hour without any response, and he also refused to draw or play. In the second session he remained silent for half an hour, then began to come a little closer to the toys but drew back. In the third session he picked up the colours and began to draw some simple pictures, but without speaking. In the fourth session, while speaking with his brother about the event that caused the death of his cousins, he came out with a few words that reminded him of the event, but he returned to silence again. In the fifth session the mother came to tell us that her son had begun to return gradually to life: he had begun to play with his brothers, and to talk about school after having refused to speak about anything to do with it, and his behaviour had begun to change for the better. In the sixth session the child came up to the counsellor smiling to show her his star chart, and began to talk to her happily, and when the mother was asked about the child she answered that he was much better than before and that his behaviour at school had likewise improved. He was also included in the Centre's activities and taken to the children's festival, and the child now leads his life normally and will be followed up, God willing.