Selective Mutism Anxiety & Related Disorders Treatment Center-SMart Center

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the SMart Center! 🦃✨ Wishing you a day filled with comfort, connection, and joy with your loved ones. 🌟 Remember, comfort precedes communication—so take it one step at a time. 💛

Heading to a holiday gathering? 🎉 Check out Dr. E's blog "How to Prepare a Child with SM for the Holidays" for some helpful tips at https://ow.ly/Yu6Y50XyiIl! 🍂

11/26/2025

🌟 NEW BLOG: Learned Helplessness & Selective Mutism 🫢

Read Dr. E's latest blog now 👉 https://ow.ly/NKEa50XyihS

When children with experience high anxiety, it’s natural for parents to step in — answering for them, ordering on their behalf, or easing the moment to prevent distress. While these instincts come from love, they can unintentionally create learned helplessness, a cycle where children begin to believe they can’t communicate or act independently without a parent stepping in.

In this new blog, Dr. E explains why learned helplessness develops in SM and how parents can shift from rescuing to supportive facilitation. Read the full blog to learn how you can confidently break the cycle and support social communication progress. 💙

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11/25/2025

For students with , even small classroom interactions can trigger significant anxiety. Presenting a task can be a simple yet powerful way to gauge where a student’s comfort level is — and how to help them progress.

Learn more with Dr. E's book “The Ideal Classroom Setting for the Selectively Mute Child” 👉 https://ow.ly/FUBe50XxcTo

This guide will help you assess your student's current anxiety levels and plan targeted supports that foster calm and confidence. 📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call us at (215) 887 5748!

11/24/2025

11/20/2025

🦃 NEW BLOG: How to Prepare a Child with Selective Mutism for the Holiday Season 💬✨

Read Dr. E's latest blog now 👉 https://ow.ly/KIB150Xu4c5

The holidays are meant to be a time of joy — but for individuals with , the holiday season can bring some added anxiety. In this new post, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum shares practical S-CAT® strategies to help your child feel comfortable & confident across all settings. 🌟

From preparing for gatherings with familiar faces to navigating classroom parties and performances, this guide offers simple, evidence-based ways to lower anxiety and support progress across the Social Communication Bridge®.

-CAT

11/19/2025

🤔 Do you know a child or student who doesn't speak or barely whispers in the classroom? 📚 This child could be suffering from —a social communication anxiety disorder.

🌟 The Selective Mutism in the School Self-Paced Course, led by Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and other SM experts, gives school professionals and parents the tools they need to understand, support, and accommodate students with SM.

Enroll now 👉 https://ow.ly/Szw050Xu40H

Share this with your school and help set your student up for success in the new year! 🌟 Take advantage of our Holiday Sale! Save 10% with code "SMHOLIDAY" through January 2!

11/18/2025

When interacting with a child or teen with , how you start a conversation matters. Using visual cues or choice questions can minimize the need to think about and process a response, which also helps to reduce anxiety!

For more real-world tips, read Dr. E’s handout “The Child/Teen with Selective Mutism in the Real World” at https://ow.ly/fbce50XtyUu!

11/14/2025

🎾 NEW BLOG: Social Communication Round Robin 💬✨

Read Dr. E's latest blog now 👉 https://ow.ly/T24W50XqNXE

Imagine a tennis match—one player serves, the other returns, and the rally builds rhythm, comfort, and confidence. That’s exactly how the Social Communication Round Robin works! 🌟

In this evidence-based strategy from Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum, children engage in a playful “serve and return” of communication to help individuals practice initiating interactions in a fun, low-pressure way! From nonverbal exchanges, like note-passing, to using a Verbal Intermediary®, and eventually speaking directly, each rally strengthens social comfort and confidence. 🏫💬

11/12/2025

🎄 The holidays can bring joy, excitement and for children with Selective Mutism or social anxiety, a bit of added stress. 💛

Check out our helpful handout, “Holiday Preparations & Practicalities,” filled with practical tips to reduce anxiety and build confidence throughout the season: https://ow.ly/jZ8V50XqKxn

Looking for more holiday support? Join Jennifer Brittingham, LPC, SMart Center’s Lead School Consultant and Selective Mutism expert, for Selective Mutism Association's live webinar, “Navigating the Holidays with Selective Mutism: Strategies for Success” on November 20th at 7:30 PM (EST).

Discover evidence-based strategies to help children with SM feel more comfortable, confident, and connected at home, in school, and beyond. Register Here 👉 https://ow.ly/Jglq50XqKxp

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call (215) 887-5748

11/11/2025

🌟 Give your child the tools they need to overcome social communication anxiety and build lasting confidence with CommuniCamp™ by Selective Mutism Anxiety & Related Disorders Treatment Center-SMart Center! 🚀

Spend 3+ transformative days with top expert, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum, and others. You'll discover effective strategies to support your child while connecting with other parents who share the same lived experience! Meanwhile, children and teens build social communication skills and comfort through learning critical S-CAT® strategies.

It's a unique opportunity to not only learn, but to see firsthand how your child can begin to thrive in a supportive, structured environment! 📅 Visit CommuniCamp.org to enroll for our January 16-19 and February 13-16 sessions!

11/07/2025

❓ What is speech phobia? 🤨

Even after progress, some children and teens with experience speech phobia - a fear that can develop around being verbal even after anxiety is beginning to lower. These are individuals who can engage and communicate non-verbally in most, if not all, settings.

That’s where the Ritual Sound Approach®, developed by Dr. Shipon-Blum, can help!
Learn more about this approach 🔗 https://ow.ly/vuqp50Xow9A

This gentle, step-by-step technique supports kids in breaking through the fear of speech and gaining confidence in their voice. 💬✨

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call us at (215) 887 5748!

11/05/2025

🌟 NEW BLOG: “Choice Questions with the Right Answer Second” 💬💙

Read Dr. E’s blog post now 👉 https://ow.ly/aNp250Xnhrf

For children and teens with , every question can feel like a pop quiz—unpredictable and filled with pressure to respond. Choice Questions with the Right Answer Second, part of Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum’s S-CAT® approach, help make social communication easier by lowering anxiety and reducing processing load. 🌱

When paired with preparation and visuals through the PVC method (Prepare, Visuals, Choice), this strategy helps children anticipate what’s coming, process faster, and move naturally across the Social Communication Bridge®.

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call us at (215) 887 5748!