Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Red, Megan and Danielle appear to be three perfectly normal, healthy girls to the outside world. But there is something puzzling about each of them. They all have selective mutism – a condition which means they can speak, but most of the time, they don't.

My Child Won't Speak follows their lives as they attempt to tackle their greatest fear – speaking.

The film forms part of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One's Being Mum season and is the first of two season films commissioned and supported by Headroom – the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's three-year mental health and wellbeing campaign.

In Northamptonshire, most people never hear eight-year-old Red talk. Instead she communicates using a whiteboard, markers and a cloth. She has a set of rules about who she can and can't talk to. While she will chatter away to her mum and dad, her granddad, John, has never heard her speak a word and it's breaking his heart.

In Dover, 10-year-old Megan goes cheerleading every Thursday but she never cheers. The only place she talks freely is at home; at school she never utters a word. Her teacher Mr Lockerby fears that she is virtually invisible in class and it's affecting her education.

Fifteen-year-old Danielle from Caerphilly has also been trying to beat selective mutism. Her parents, Tony and Christine, are amazed at the progress she's made. A year ago she was still answering questions with a whiteboard but now she can open her mouth and speak. But she's not there yet. Danielle took drastic action to kickstart her talking – she asked to move to another school. But a simple trip to the shops can still render her speechless.

Speech therapist Maggie Johnson defines selective mutism as "the consistent failure to speak in certain situations" and she stresses that for each child they each have their own individual pattern of deciding who they can and can't talk to.

Maggie explains that some people might feel that children 'put on' selective mutism – but argues they could never sustain its intensity: it is a true phobia.

What is clear is that it affects every part of their lives and, if it's not dealt with early on, it can have serious consequences for later in life.

To talk freely like other children, the three girls must confront the personal fears and anxieties they have about using their voices. My Child Won't Speak joins them on their individual journeys as they start to find a way forward.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Headroom is a cross-platform campaign from Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Learning to encourage people to look after their mental health and wellbeing. Log on to bbc.co.uk/headroom for more information about selective mutism and support resources.