The SMart Center is a comprehensive treatment and research Center focused exclusively on the anxiety disorder, Selective Mutism in young children and teenagers. The center is directed by Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum.

Treatment philosophy centers on viewing Selective Mutism as a Social Communication Anxiety Disorder and treating the ‘whole child,’ not just a child’s mutism. The name, SELECTIVE MUTISM, implies that the main and only issue with ‘silent’ children is their ‘inability to speak.’ As a result, so many focus treatment and understanding on ‘ways to get the child to speak.’ This is incorrect and usually leads to worsening and prolonged anxiety; hence minimal progress.

Upon examination of the child with Selective Mutism it becomes clear that many children suffering in silence are unable to communicate nonverbally as well as verbally, and many cannot communicate at all when anxious! As a result, appropriate social interaction is often negatively affected.

Through years of working directly with children with Selective Mutism and understanding that each child has their unique needs,  Dr. Shipon-Blum has developed a treatment approach called:  Social Communication Anxiety Therapy (SCAT). This treatment approach is  currently being used successfully by numerous practitioners around the country. Researchers are presently studying the short term as well as long terms success rates of SCAT.

Children with SM develop social-communication anxiety secondary to their feelings of social expectations that are induced by a multitude of factors ( ie, genetics, environment, innate temperament, cognitive and developmental levels, etc). In order to help the child develop coping skills to combat anxious and often fearful feelings one must first understand the child's ability to engage socially and communicate with others in various social environments that can change from setting to setting and person to person.

To accomplish this, SMart Center professionals use a variety of assessment tools, school/home evaluation forms, parental/school interviews and possibly comprehensive speech/language, OT, developmental and physical evaluations.  Then with results from the evaluation of the child (via in person and/or via taping), the child's unique needs and the degree of social communication anxiety in multiple settings are determined.

Social Communication Anxiety Treatment approaches strategies are then incorporated with the child's unique needs and characteristics into an individualized treatment plan. Focus of treatment is on the 'whole child' and needs to include the parents and school working as a team with the child and treatment professional to enable for steady and consistent progress aimed at building social comfort and verbal communication.