Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum is the CEO and Executive Medical Director of the Childhood Anxiety Network, Inc (CAN) and the Selective Mutism Group Childhood Anxiety Network (SMG~CAN). Dr. Shipon-Blum is also the President and Director of the Selective Mutism Anxiety Research and Treatment Center (SMART-Center) located in NE Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition, Dr Shipon-Blum is Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology and Family Medicine at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is a board certified family physician who specializes in Selective Mutism. Dr. E has dedicated years studying, researching and treating individuals with Selective Mutism.

Dr Shipon-Blum founded the SMart Center and practices in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, PA.  She consults worldwide with parents, treating Professionals and educators and has helped hundreds upon hundreds of children from around the world overcome Selective Mutism. She has developed a treatment approach for children with Selective Mutism called, Social-Communication Anxiety Therapy (S-CAT) S-CAT is based on the understanding that Selective Mutism is a social-communication anxiety disorder. Treatment philosophy focuses on treating the WHOLE child, not their mutism. By working as a team with child, parents and school, Dr. E helps children/teen build the coping skills to overcome their anxiety and fears by enabling for progression of communication and social comfort from setting to setting.

Dr. Shipon-Blum lectures throughout the country on the topic of Selective Mutism and has presented at multiple national and regional professional conferences. In addition, Dr. E leads SM Conferences throughout the USA with the hope of educating parents, treating professionals and educators to the truths about SM.

Dr. E is presently involved in multiple collaborative research projects with universities and researchers throughout the USA. She has written several books on Selective Mutism,  including; 'The Ideal Classroom Setting for the Selectively Mute child,' ‘Easing School Jitters for the Selectively Mute Child,' 'Understanding Katie' (a book series about a little girl with Selective mutism); Supplement Treating Guide to Understanding Katie.
 

Deborah Jill Chitester  MS, CCC SLP, received her Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Adelphi University in New York and was granted her Certificate of Clinical Competence (C.C.C) by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). She has 10+ years experience working with all age levels both mono-lingual and Spanish speaking, having received special certification by the State of New York as a Bilingual (English/Spanish) Speech-Language Pathologist. Deborah has worked with all age levels and all disabilities. She began her practice in New York, where she worked with both private patients as well as with the major school systems and corporations.

In her practice, she treats both monolingual and Spanish speaking clients of all ages and disabilities and utilizes some of the latest computer based treatment especially designed to promote optimal language development. Deborah is an advocate of “highest quality service provider” having given many speaking engagements at parent/special interest support groups to inform and educate parents, in addition to offering her services as a Bilingual/Monolingual  Independent Educational Evaluator.

Deborah has been a poster presenter at ASHA’s national convention and Asha’s schools conference in the area of appropriate clinical management of speech language disorders in culturally linguistically diverse children (CLD). She has also given informative presentations on effective evaluation of CLD children to help identify and recognize language difference vs true speech delay for school district and other professional audiences.  Deborah has been selected to be a presenter at the New Jersey Speech Hearing Association convention in 2005  and her presentation will deal with strategies for conducting culturally sensitive and appropriate assessments for diverse populations and overall clinical management of speech language disorders in culturally linguistically diverse children.


Tracey De Maria OTR/L owns and operates The Sensagration Whole Child Center in NJ. Tracey is a 1997 Colorado State University graduate with a BS in Occupational Therapy. Tracey worked in New Jersey as a staff therapist in various out-patient clinics utilizing a sensory integrative approach to treatment. She was a senior therapist at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey, for almost four years where she was instrumental in the development of various pediatric treatment programs, including the "How Does Your Engine Run" self-regulation group and handwriting groups. While practicing her skills clinically, Tracey pursued advanced education in the area of Sensory Integration.

She is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT), and is an authorized provider of The Listening Program®. 

Tracey is an experienced lecturer on sensory integration-based topics, including the basics of sensory integration, self-regulation, and sensory diets. She has also worked closely with the Selective Mutism Group / Child Anxiety Network (SMG/CAN) as a consultant on topics and questions related to Dysfunction of Sensory Integration.

In April of 2003 Tracey began her private practice known as Sensagration Pediatric Occupational Therapy Services. Tracey De Maria is also an OT consultation for the Selective Mutism Anxiety Research and Treatment Center.


Richard Gallagher Ph.D is the Director of the Parenting Institute at the NYU Child Study Center. Dr. Gallagher has developed several treatment packages to help children and their parents through behavior therapy.  One of those packages is TALK specifically designed for children with selective mutism.  He and his colleagues have been putting the package through clinical trials for the last 8 years. Currently, Dr. Gallagher is the leader of the Special Interest Group in Child and School-Related Issues of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy.

Dr. Gallagher also served as Co-Investigator on a treatment development grant from the National Institute of Mental Health for an organizational skills intervention for ADD/ADHD children and continues to investigate the neuropsychological profile of childhood ADHD. Dr. Gallagher received his B.A. degree from the University of Rochester, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Temple University. He studied neuropsychology and neuropsychological assessment at Teachers College, Columbia University on a postdoctoral basis. Dr. Gallagher also served an NIMH postdoctoral fellowship at the Human Development and Personality Institute of the Educational Testing Service under Dr. Irving Siegal.