Our Brave Voices

01/27/2026

🌟 Week 4: The Power of Collaboration 🌟
Because brave voices flourish within collaborative teams, students with selective mutism make the greatest progress when school teams, families, and specialists work together—with intention and consistency.
✨ When we collaborate, we:
✅ Share observations across settings
✅ Agree on gradual, supportive exposure steps
✅ Celebrate small (but mighty!) successes along the way
When everyone is aligned, students experience a safe, compassionate, environment that supports real growth—across all settings.
💛 Strong teams working together = safe, intentional growth
And that’s where brave voices begin to emerge.
Talking

01/22/2026

🌿 Week 2: The Power of Adult Calm 🌿
Adult regulation → student regulation
When supporting students with selective mutism, our tone, pace, and reactions matter as much as our words.
🧠 For a student with SM, speaking can feel threatening. When adults stay calm, patient, and predictable, we send a powerful message: You are safe here.
✨ Adults can help by:
• Remaining calm and present
• Using a warm, steady tone
• Slowing the pace of interactions
• Co-Regulating throughout the interaction
🌱 Key takeaway:
Calm adults lower the perceived threat of speaking—making brave talking more possible.
🤝 Small shifts in adult regulation can create big changes in student confidence.

01/20/2026

🌟 Week 3: Brave Talking in the Classroom 🌟
Did you know? Exposure therapy is a gold-standard, evidence-based approach for treating selective mutism—and schools play a powerful role in making it work! 🏫💬
In a school setting, this often looks like:
✨ A student meeting 1:1 with a trusted key staff member in a quiet, private space to practice brave talking
✨ Intentional fade-ins, adding staff and peers one at a time to grow the student’s “Brave Talking Club” 🤝
✨ Small, supported steps to bring brave talking into the classroom
✨ Gradual expansion into the larger school community
The goal? 🎯
Building distress tolerance through small, manageable steps that feel like a “just-right challenge”—never rushed, never forced, always supportive.
When school teams move together with a shared plan, brave voices grow. 💛

01/15/2026

🧠 Mindset Matters: What Adults Can Do Differently
Week 1: Reframing Silence
What if we viewed silence as a sign of struggle—not refusal?
For students with selective mutism, silence isn’t defiance, avoidance, nor lack of motivation.
It’s communication. It tells us their nervous system is in overdrive.
👉 These students want to speak.
👉 They often know the answer.
👉 Their struggle is simply louder than their voice right now.
When adults shift their mindset—from “Why won’t they talk?” to “What does this student need to feel safe?”—we create the conditions where brave talking can flourish.
💛 Safety first.
🌱 Speech follows.
✨ Save this for your next team conversation, or share it with a colleague supporting a student with selective mutism.
🤝 Support is available if your team would like guidance on next steps.

01/13/2026

Week 2 Returning from Christmas Break:
Finding the “Just Right Challenge”
Selective mutism support works best via the “just right challenge.” 🌱
Small, brave, speaking steps.
Intentional support.
Steady progress.

🚫 Too easy = stalled growth
🚫 Too hard = overwhelm

🎯 Focus: increasing distress tolerance—gradually and compassionately.

💬 Supporting a student with selective mutism? Let’s connect! ~Annie

01/06/2026

Back from Winter Break!
Returning to school after winter break can feel overwhelming for students with selective mutism. Even students who were making progress may be quieter at first—this is normal.
✅ Tips for the first week:
• Lower verbal demands temporarily
• Use question end-arounds
• Re-establish routines
• Focus on connection before speech

01/02/2026

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays! ♥️Annie

12/23/2025

As we head into the holiday break, a shout-out to school teams:

Supporting a student with selective mutism takes mindful intention—especially during busy, high-stimulus days.

Your flexibility, patience, and compassion matter more than you know. Thank you for all you have done for your students heading into the holidays!

🎁 The greatest gift is a safe, supportive, environment. ~Annie

12/20/2025

A tremendous progress update! One of the amazing keyworkers I have been working with just reported that their student has now shared their voice with 70+ students and staff at school this fall.
I am consistently inspired by the tireless efforts of the school teams I work alongside and amazed by the students they support.
Great job everyone! ~Annie

08/23/2025

A few selective mutism back to school tips for families and school teams:
1. Make sure you have a plan of support in place with both interventions and accommodations and be certain the student knows their key people
2. If possible, have the student meet the teacher 1:1 before the first day
3. Seat the student with a preferred peer whenever possible
4. Ensure the student has a means for communicating basic needs, i.e. bathroom, illness/injury/asking for help, ect.
5. Reach out for support as needed https://www.selectivemutism.org/find-support/

Wishing everyone a year full of brave talking and courage! ~Annie