This writer and child psychologist treats children who suffer from autism, Tourette’s syndrome, the consequences of sexual abuse and fetal alcohol abuse. She specializes in mutism and writes books about her experiences with these often traumatized children and she also publishes novels.
Torey Hayden
Torey Hayden was born on May 27, 1951 in Livingston, United States, under the name Victoria Lynn Hayden. She was an enterprising, imaginative child. Her interest in writing was sparked in third grade. Torey was a good, but not overly diligent student. She attended high school in Billings and then Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where she majored in biology and chemistry. During her first year at university, she interned in a program for underprivileged preschoolers. There was a toddler sitting under the table, she didn’t speak and didn’t want to come out from under it. Torey was instructed to make contact with the toddler. At first she did not like this, but her supervisor said that everything that was achieved with this child was a gain. So she tried it and this sparked her interest in special education and selective mutism in particular. In 1975, she received a Masters degree in special education from Montana State University in Billings. She then attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis for a doctorate in educational psychology. She then works for various hospitals and educational institutions, teaching special education and treating children with psychological problems. In 1980, Torey emigrated from America to Wales (England). Here she met the Scotsman Ken, whom she married in 1982. Their daughter Sheena was born in 1985. Unfortunately the marriage does not last.
Selective mutism
Torey Hayden specializes in selective mutism. Selective mutism means that the patient refuses to talk in certain circumstances. The reason for this may be social anxiety, trauma or manipulative behavior. Social anxiety is the most common reason. According to Torey Hayden, selective mutism is not an immediate reason to seek psychological help. In many cases, the child can regain speech with some help and patience from the teacher. But if the child still does not speak after six months, psychological help is recommended. For older children aged five and over, you should seek help earlier. This is because the problem is more difficult to solve from that age onwards.
Bibliography
Non-fiction
- One Child 1980 translated into Dutch as Sheila. The heartbreaking story about the violent Sheila. A six-year-old girl with serious behavioral problems and a high IQ, who only wants one thing; someone who loves her.
- Sombody elses kids 1981 translates into Dutch as Shelved children. This book tells about seven-year-old autistic Boo, seven-year-old Lori who suffered brain damage as a result of physical abuse, ten-year-old Tomaso and twelve-year-old Claudia. The book is not on the same level as her other books. These children also moved on with their lives after their period in Hayden’s class. Boo lives in a sheltered home, Claudia is a child psychologist, married and mother of four children. Lori is married and the mother of two children. She teaches the children at home through homeschooling. Hayden has lost contact with Tomaso over time.
- Murphy’s Boy 1983 translates into Dutch as Kevin, the child of the account. Sixteen-year-old Kevin does not speak and suffers from many fears. He spends his time under the table, with the chairs around him like protective bars. Nowadays Kevin works as a nurse in a hospital. He is married and has two sons.
- Just Another Kid 1988 translated into Dutch as No child like any other. The story follows six children with various disorders, ranging from mutism, schizophrenia, autism to mental retardation. The book is also about Ladbrooke, the alcoholic mother of autistic Leslie.
- Ghost Girl 1991 translated into Dutch as Jadie, the girl who didn’t want to talk. Jadie is the victim of horrific abuse. In Sweden, an alleged victim has accused her father and a friend of the father of incest and ritual murder. The father and the friend were released during the appeal when it turned out that the victim’s stories had been taken verbatim from this book. The daughter later also admitted to lying. She had read the book while in a nursing home. Her roommate there had been abused and the girls talked about it. That’s how the daughter came up with this idea. The father and the friend were imprisoned innocently for three and a half years. Jadie herself still has confusing memories of her youth and continues to find it difficult to talk about this. She has a degree in medieval English literature.
- The Tiger’s Child 1995 translated into Dutch as Sheila, a girl of fourteen. The story is the sequel to One Child. What happened next with Sheila? The book tells in the afterword how the adult Sheila is doing.
- Beautiful Child 2002 translated into Dutch as A child in need. This story is about Venus. A child who doesn’t talk and moves strangely. She appears to be seriously abused at home. Also in the class are the twins Shane and Zane who suffered from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the aggressive, intelligent Billy and eight-year-old Jesse with Tourette’s Syndrome. The now adult Venus lives together and has a daughter. She works as a waitress. Jesse is married and has a managerial position. Billy has a job in the defense industry. He has a girlfriend. Contact has been lost with the twins.
- Twilight Children 2005 translated into Dutch as Shadow Children. This book is about the violent, silent nine-year-old Cassandra, the four-year-old Drake with selective mutism and the elderly Gerda, who can no longer speak after a stroke.
Novels
- The Sunflower Forest 1984 translated into Dutch as A forest with flaming yellow flowers. This novel tells the story of Leslie, a normal teenager with a mother who struggles with her traumatic experiences during the war. Her mother sinks more and more into her own delusions until she does something dramatic, which turns the whole family upside down.
- Overheard in a dream 1999 translated into Dutch as Was it a dream?
- Innocent Foxes 2011
Children’s books
- The Very Worst Thing 2003
- Ziji 2009