Individuals with Selective Mutism (SM) manifest social communication deficits based on the setting and expectations from others within a setting. Parents, therapists, and school staff are often perplexed as to how to help the mute child. Dr. Shipon-Blum, an expert in treating children and adolescents with SM and developer of Social Communication Anxiety Treatment® (S-CAT®), conceptualizes SM as a social communication anxiety disorder where “not speaking” merely skims the surface of the difficulties these individuals face. Dr. Shipon-Blum has found that individuals with SM can make significant progress and transition to verbal communication when provided with comprehensive treatment that focuses on the whole person and improving his/her social communication and engagement skills.  

The school environment is most often the setting where children present as mute. Progress in the therapy room and at home will not automatically generalize to the school setting without the implementation of specific treatment goals and adult facilitation from educational staff. SM treatment in the school requires a team approach involving the clinician, parents, and educational staff. Through collaboration and consistent implementation of specific treatment strategies and goals, students with SM can transition to verbal communication in the school setting.  

This conference will review the importance of the initial evaluation and assessment process that are critical in developing an effective treatment plan for an individual with Selective Mutism. Next, the impact of SM on a child’s academic performance and ability to make progress and the need for accommodations and services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan will be discussed. A review of common comorbid disorders (e.g. speech and language disorder, sensory processing disorder, developmental delays, etc.) seen in children with SM and sample accommodations and interventions to address these challenges in the school setting will also be discussed. Finally, the presentation will identify and describe effective treatment strategies and interventions in treating SM in the school setting.  

Part 1 of this webinar workshop will focus on two areas: the benefits of comprehensive assessments for children with Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety and addressing comorbid conditions in the school setting through the development of accommodations and interventions such as 504/IEP Plans. The goal is to understand Selective Mutism and learn strategies to help the child/teen with Selective Mutism, social anxiety, and extreme shyness cope, socialize, and communicate in school. 

From 10-11am ET, SMart Center clinicians Tera Gibbs, M.A. and Julia Gomes, M.S., M.A. will present “The Benefits of Comprehensive Assessments for Children with Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety.” We know that individuals with SM and social anxiety can easily be misunderstood due to communication difficulties. Comprehensive assessments provide a unique perspective into a student’s strengths and challenges and identify, as precisely as possible, the facilitators (maintaining factors) and barriers children experience as they navigate the world around them. Assessment data provides a foundation upon which teams can develop tailored, individualized, and effective interventions in order to best support the individual. Tera and Julia will outline the assessment process, highlight special considerations for assessing students with communication difficulties, and discuss how assessment and differential diagnosis contribute to developing the most effective interventions for the students with whom we work. A thorough explanation of the overlap between SM and related disorders will be provided while specifically highlighting how comprehensive assessment can differentiate the nuances of what appear to be similar surface-level symptoms. Finally, the presentation will review how to successfully develop and implement 504 Plans and IEP’s using assessment data.   

From 11:30am-12:30pm ET, SMart Center clinicians Tera Gibbs, M.A. and Jenna Blum, B.A. will present “Addressing Comorbid Conditions in the School Setting Through 504/IEP Plans.” Tera and Jenna will give an overview of the conditions and disorders that commonly occur with Selective Mutism and how to recognize and identify them, including extreme shyness and timid temperament, social anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, behavioral challenges, sensory processing problems, developmental and intellectual delays and disabilities, learning disabilities, and bilingualism. The importance of a comprehensive evaluation to help ensure that comorbid conditions are not missed, misdiagnosed, or over-identified will be discussed. Tera and Jenna will also provide an overview of accommodations for each of these comorbid conditions and how they can be incorporated in a 504/IEP in the school environment. 

By attending this webinar you will learn: 

• The assessment process and special considerations for children/teens with communication and social anxiety-related difficulties. 
• The importance of tailoring the assessment process to the individual child in order to bolster validity of results.  
• The relationship between Selective Mutism, its related disorders, the various co-occurring symptoms, and how assessment leads appropriate identification, differentiated diagnosis, and the development of effective interventions.  
• How assessment and interventions become formalized, effective school accommodations and modifications through 504 Plans and IEPs.  
• Common conditions or disorders that may occur with a diagnosis of Selective Mutism.  
• Accommodations, interventions, and modifications to include in a 504 or IEP plan to address comorbid conditions.  

Register here!

About our Presenters: 

Tera Gibbs, M.A. is a master-level clinician at the SMart Center and serves as a CommuniCamp™ Head Counselor. She is a doctoral student in school psychology at Temple University. Prior to her current program, she earned her undergraduate degree from Daemen College (B.A., 2007) and graduate degrees from SUNY Buffalo (M.A., 2009) and Temple University (M.Ed., 2011). She has worked as a paraprofessional in Emotional Support at South Philadelphia High School, a school counselor in Chester County, and an adjunct instructor in the College of Lifelong Learning at Immaculata University. As a student clinician at the Temple University Psychoeducational Clinic, she has conducted full psychoeducational evaluations for school-aged students and has experience assessing specific learning disabilities as well as social, emotional, and attentional difficulties. She is trained to use solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral, and acceptance and commitment therapeutic strategies. Throughout her education, her research interests have included exploring facilitators and barriers to healthy behavior change, using inquiry-based strategies to facilitate science learning for middle school teachers and students, and, currently, how executive skills influence math achievement in middle school students. 

Julia Gomes, M.S, M.A. is currently a fourth year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She earned a M.S. in Mental Health Counseling from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Julia works as a part-time adjunct professor at Cabrini University, teaching Abnormal Psychology and Theories of Personality courses to undergraduate students. She also works as a psychology social media coordinator for a private practice located in King of Prussia and Philadelphia. Julia currently serves as a doctoral student extern at Cooper Hospital and Cooper Learning Center where she works alongside of health professionals to provide brief interventions and services to their patients. In addition to providing therapeutic services at Cooper Hospital, Julia conducts psychoeducational evaluations at Cooper Learning Center with children and adolescents.  She has held prior positions conducting therapy with adults and children who have a variety of diagnoses and has utilized evidence-based practices to alleviate client’s psychological distress. Julia previously was a doctoral student extern at Intercommunity Action Incorporated where she conducted comprehensive behavioral evaluations, psychoeducational and neuropsychological testing with children and adolescents who may have learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and other mood and trauma-related disorders. Julia also co-led a psychoeducational Depression group at Intercommunity Action Incorporated, for clients who endorsed experiencing symptoms of depression. Within the group Julia provided psychoeducation about depression and taught the client’s evidence-based techniques and strategies to help decrease their depressive symptoms. During her master’s level clinical experience, she worked in Belmont Behavioral Hospital’s outpatient department, providing therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with a number of diagnoses.  Julia is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) as well as other subdivisions within APA. She is currently in the process of developing her dissertation on the topic of “The Prosocial Behaviors, Gross Motor Abilities, and Soccer Skill Acquisition of Young Children after Participating in an Organized Soccer Program.” 

Jenna Blum, B.A. is currently pursuing a doctorate in the field of Clinical Psychology at Chestnut Hill College after graduating with honors from Muhlenberg College where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree and majored in Psychology and minored in Creative Writing. Jenna was a member of the Psychology National Honor Society (Psi Chi). Jenna has years of experience working at the SMart Center. Over the years, she has developed a passion for this community. She explained that her favorite part about working at the SMart Center is the rewarding feeling that she gets every time she reads a story from a patient located anywhere in the world who has found a voice from the comfort and confidence that they have gained at the center. Jenna is currently a Research Assistant, Clinical Support Staff, and a Head CommuniCamp™ Counselor. She also works with patients under our licensed clinicians and performs Exposure Based Treatment (EBPs) for families who attend consultations at the SMart Center.  Jenna has been a Head Counselor at CommuniCamp™ since 2017 and enjoys meeting families from all over the world. Her favorite part of CommuniCamp™ is watching children and teens from various sides of the world come together for one weekend to find their voices together. She explained that it is so powerful to watch children act as leaders and helpers to other campers. She stated, “Every child walks out of CommuniCamp™ as a new, confident, and inspired young individual and feels encouraged and proud of the person that they have become.”