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Meet Dr. Shipon-Blum

Frequently Asked Questions


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What is Social Communication Anxiety Therapy (S-CAT)®?
I have taken my child to many other professionals and not one has used S-CAT with my child. Why is this?
Quite simply, Dr. E has developed S-CAT from the multitude of data and clinical information gathered from working with so many children with SM. Since clinical experience precedes research, it is common for clinical efficacy to exist prior to documented research. Fortunately, research is presently being done via SMRI that is confirming S-CAT's effectiveness!

Understand that S-CAT is not one type of therapy technique, but involves various types of treatment strategies and interventions that are proven within the scientific literature. Treatment is individualized and based on the child's particular needs.

SM Conferences, workshops, professional trainings are done throughout the year to help educate parents, treating professionals and educators about S-CAT. Dr. E also trains treating professionals regularly via teleconference and in-person direct trainings. Fortunately, S-CAT Is becoming more popular and more professionals are realizing the effectiveness!

As more research is published, many more professionals will begin to understand and adapt S-CAT as a form of treatment!

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What is the success rate of S-CAT?
Based on patient data, for ALL children who go through the complete course of recommended treatment that includes:
  1. Consistent recommended follow-ups.
  2. Parent education
  3. Education of school personnel about SM and individual child's needs
  4. Development of school accommodations and interventions (Note: Academic achievement is dependent upon the correct placement and appropriate accommodations)
  5. Child involvement and willingness to receive help.
Over 95% of patients have overcome their silence, are verbal communicators and are now significantly more comfortable socially. Most no longer require school accommodations to aid in communication!

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Your office is located in the northeast suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. Do you treat children from other locations?
Absolutely! The average distance to our office is over 2 1/2 hours, with many traveling via train or plane to reach our location. We are proud to state that we have treated children and their families from almost every continent in the world!

In addition, we perform many long distance teleconferences or video conferencing for families unable to present for an in-person consultation and school personnel from out of state.

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"If we live out of state or quite far from the SMart Center, how are follow-up appointments arranged? We can't possibly be traveling to the office every week!
Since most families are seen every two weeks to every month, you could schedule follow-ups in a variety of different ways. Some families present for the initial appointment (for long distance families, we recommend a two-day initial appointment that consists of 2 hours the first day and 1-2 hours the second day). Follow up can begin with a teleconference approximately 3-4 weeks later. We often recommend a 30-60 minute teleconference with school personnel as well. Depending on the treatment approach recommended you can present monthly, approximately every 3 months, or possibly consult via teleconference ongoing (when this is done, we recommend that you have a local clinician who you and your child can work with to follow up and implement strategies).

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What is the average age range of the children that receive treatment at the SMart Center?
The age range for children/teens in our practice is 3 years old to 19 years of age. In rare and unusual situations, we have worked with young adults.

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How long do most children receive treatment at the SMart Center?
This question is impossible to answer. However, based on patients who have been seen at the SMart Center over the past many years, the average time frame for treatment is approximately 6-12 visits or every 4-6 weeks for 7-12 months. For less impaired children, treatment has been as short as 4-6 visits. For more impaired children, especially older children, some have needed treatment every 2-4 weeks for up to or more than a year.

Approximately 1 in 10 children require more than a year of treatment. Therefore, most children are discharged from the SMart Center after an average of 10-12 sessions.

Please note the more consistent parents are in follow-up appointments and the more involved the school is in our efforts and the more a child is willing to partake in treatment, the easier and faster the child progresses communicatively and feels more comfortable socially.

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Please describe the typical treatment course for a child who receives treatment at the SMart Center:
Results from your initial consultation will help our professionals develop a unique treatment plan for your child that is based on S-CAT.

Families leave the SMart Center at their first visit with beginning treatment recommendations. Most families consult again approximately 4 weeks after their initial appointment. This gives families time to implement treatment recommendations and for school personnel to begin with recommendations.

During each follow-up visit, your doctor or therapist will work with your child (and YOU) to develop games/goals that will be worked on during the time between treatment sessions based on the parent/school follow-up forms and child session. Parents will be provided with an appointment summary and goals/games for the real world and school.

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I am not sure which consultation format to choose. Any advice?
There are Four types of initial appointments for child/teen evaluations. They are: a Comprehensive (in-person only), Per Service: (in-person or teleconference), School Evaluations and Ask the Doc (non-patient consultation).

ALL initial consultations include evaluation of various parent/teacher assessment forms, review of past (relevant) records, parent Interview, child evaluation (in-person/video), and in some cases, IEP/504 review and/or discussion with outside treatment professionals and/or school personnel.
For more information on the consultation formats, visit of Services page, or contact our office.

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What is the process for scheduling an appointment?
Please review information on services. If you would then like to schedule an appointment, contact our office via email: smartcenter@selectivemutismcenter.org or call our front desk at: 215-887-5748. Provide your email and other contact information. We will then contact you back via email or phone depending upon your requests.

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What if after I choose the Ask the Doc initial format, I decide to pursue regular treatment?
This happens often. Families will need to fill out the SM-CDQ, the SM School Eval form and perhaps other recommended assessment forms. The level of service needed to begin treatment will depend on what was accomplished during the Ask the Doc consultation.

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I am very interested in speaking to parents who have gone through treatment at the SMart Center. Is this possible?
Very possible and also highly recommended! The Smart Center staff is happy to connect families currently or formerly in treatment with another parent who is "in the same shoes" they were in not too long ago. Please speak to your doctor or therapist about this during your consultation. She will match you with another parent or a few parents with a child similar to yours.

We encourage patients to communicate with other children/teens who have had SM or who are still undergoing treatment. Your therapist or doctor will mention this to you during your consultation. If your child desires a pen pal, we will do our best to find a match for your child!

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We have a student who we believe has SM. Can we send the child to your center or do you do on-site evaluations?
Fortunately we do both! You can certainly send the family to the center, do a phone consultation, or perhaps hire our staff to come to your school to do a full evaluation. Please note that school on-site evaluations are limited to PA, NJ, NY, DE.

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We would like to hire your staff to come to our school to consult about a student. We need help with the development of accommodations and interventions. What is the process?
SMart Center staff will present at the child's school, observe the child and meet with school personnel to discuss findings and suggest school based accommodations, interventions. If requested, our staff can be present for 504 and IEP meetings either at the school or via arranged teleconference (similar to Per Service Consultation).

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Our staff needs help in implementing interventions. Can the SMart Center help?
Absolutely! Our staff can consult with school personnel either via phone or on-site. On an as-needed or scheduled consultant basis our staff can present regularly to work directly with the student and school staff! You may also consider on-site trainings for staff such as workshops and webinars!

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I am not sure whether my child/student needs an IEP or a 504 plan. How do I know which, if either, is necessary?
If the child has SM that is impacting on his/her emotional, social and possibly academic well-being, then your child most definitely needs some form of accommodations. Dr. E or another one of our professional staff can provide an expert opinion after performing an initial consultation. You should ask as many questions as you can during your consultation. If requested, your clinician will provide a written report with recommendations or help develop the 504 or IEP plan.

If our professional staff believes your child should have testing for possible special education services and IEP or 504 accommodations you will be provided with a letter that you can submit to your school principal or other relevant school personnel. This letter will inform the school of your requests which will then be followed up on according to IDEA.

Most school personnel welcome suggestions on the development of accommodations and school based interventions. We can help in this process by being present at your school meeting either in person or via teleconference.

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If my child has qualified for an IEP or 504 plan and we need recommendations for accommodations and school-based interventions, which consultation format do you recommend?
1. The Per Service (in-person or phone) and Comprehensive Consultation (in-person only) are initial consultations that enable for an evaluation of your child. These are not 'accommodation plans.' These consultation choices enable for an evaluation that will help our staff determine your child's specific treatment/accommodation needs. Accommodations and school-based interventions should complement what is being done in therapy and during the times between therapy when 'in the real world.''

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What if my school teacher or another school professional wants to speak to my treatment professional? Can he/she just call during the day?
No, we ask that you schedule a short phone call with our scheduling department. Our schedule does not allow for 'sudden' calls unless there is a true emergency.

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How often are children/teens seen for follow-up visits?
Most children/teens are seen every 4-6 weeks with Dr. Shipon-Blum. For children/teens who need more frequent follow-ups visits can be scheduled every 2 weeks. Associates at the SMart Center are also available for clinical follow-ups for families who request more frequent visits.

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What is included in a follow-up consultation?
Follow-up forms are filled out by educators and parents prior to each appointment. When appropriate, a follow-up form for older children/teens is also used. The appointment is approximately 55-60 minutes to evaluate progress and update goals and games.

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Why is my child not seen weekly or multiple times weekly?
Dr. E's clinical experience dictates that children need time in between sessions to work on treatment goals/games both at home and within the school setting. Therefore, children are seen every four-six weeks at the SMart Center.

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What if I want my child to be seen more frequently or I feel I need more help with the games/goals can this be done?
Of course. When you consult with Dr. E (or associates) please mention this. We will then schedule accordingly.

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What if I feel I need an appointment outside of my regular scheduled appointment? I.e., some issues have come up or I have additional questions. How is this handled?
We offer our patients the flexibility of what we call, 'Convenience Consultations.' These are appointments that are scheduled no more than two weeks in advance and are on a first come, first served basis. These appointments are prior to our regularly scheduled appointments. These appointments range from 10-30 min. If more time is needed, we can extend assuming time is available. These appointments are usually a teleconference consultation, but in-person consultations are available for those who request.

If interested in a Convenience Consultation, Please call our Direct Patient Line (supplied to all our patients and located in the Established Patient Section of our website) or email us at: smartcenter@selectivemutismcenter.org.
We will then schedule you accordingly.

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Where can I locate the Follow-Up forms that need to be filled out and how do I submit them?
Right here! Link
You will also be supplied the link to the SM- Follow Up Forms when our office sends you an email confirmation. This is approximately 3-7 days prior to your appt.

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How do I schedule my Follow-Up appointments?
Please email our scheduling department at: SMartCenter@selectivemutismcenter.org or call our Direct Patient Line (Provided to all our established patients and located in the Established Patient section of our website). You can reach our Front Desk Call Center at 215-887-5748.

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What is the office policy for appointment canceling?
Families must let us know about cancellations within 3 days of a scheduled appointment. Children get sick, travel may be difficult due to weather, etc. However, we ask that if you need to change or cancel an appointment, you give us as much notice as possible. As you know, we have a long waiting list for appointments and the sooner you let us know, we can inform another patient in need that an appointment space has opened up.

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What percentage of patients at the SMart Center are placed on medication?
Based on our present patient population, for approximately 30-40% of patients, medication is recommended as an adjunct. However, please keep in mind the following:

  1. Since children/teens with SM are our entire focus, we see patients of varying degrees of severity. Due to Dr. Shipon-Blum's specialty, many families who present to the Smart Center have been to multiple treatment professionals in the past and minimal progress has been made. By the time many present at the Smart Center, they have exhausted many forms of treatment.
  2. The older the child, the more severe and co-morbid problems that exist, the more likely medication may be recommended.
  3. The younger the child, the less co-morbid problems that exist, the less likely medication will be recommended.

** For those with many questions on medication, we suggest the NEW CD-ROM/Audio CD's presented by Dr. E., Medication: Why, When and HOW to use Safely and Effectively in the Treatment of Selective Mutism.

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If my child needs medication, can our child receive medication and monitoring at the SMart Center?
Absolutely! Dr. Shipon-Blum is a medical doctor. Therefore in addition to providing S-CAT, she will prescribe medication if necessary. Monitoring is individualized and done carefully and ranges from every two weeks/once per month in the beginning of treatment to every three months once stable. Monitoring is done very carefully. Dr. E requires parents to update via email or phone (to staff) every week (in beginning of medication usage) to indicate child's tolerance and response to medication.

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What if we are against medication, but Dr. E recommends medication, will my child not be treated at the SMart Center?
Dr. E respects your decision whether to use or not to use medication as an adjunct to treatment. However, many parents are uninformed about 'medication' and form opinions without completely understanding. If Dr. E recommends medication and a parent is against medication, Dr. E will simply ask the parent to read about the medication and to ask her about the questions they may have. If after a thorough understanding, parents are still against the use of medication, treatment will continue without medication being used.

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What types of medication are used at the SMart Center?
If medication is recommended, 99% of patients are placed on a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) (i.e., Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, etc) or a medication very closely related to an SSRI (I.e., Effexor)

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Why is medication recommended?
Medication is used as an adjunct to help lower anxiety just enough to do the behavior therapy necessary to build coping skills. For some children/teens, anxiety is so high, that a short course of medication enables for the lowered anxiety needed to accomplish therapy.

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How long does a child remain on medication?
The goal is 6-12 months depending upon clinical response.

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How does Dr. E monitor medication?
Very Carefully! Dr. E believes that 'less is more.' and manages 95% of her patients on less than the equivalent of 20mg of Fluoxetine (Prozac). Prior to using medication, Dr. E will ask a series of questions to be sure medication is safe to use with your child. She will examine your child, supply you with a handout, answer your questions about medication and will explain to you the purpose and how medication will be used. Side effects will be discussed in detail. Your child will return within 2 weeks of beginning medication.

Dr. E will ask you to email her after the first few days of beginning medication. Prior to your follow-up visit, you will be asked to fill out the SM-Follow-Up Eval© that assesses your child's treatment progress and clinical response to the medication. At your visit, after treatment status and degree of progress has been determined, Dr. E will examine your child and determine whether to continue present dosage, increase, or decrease the dosage. It is very rare to have to decrease dosage.

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Treatment Study Opportunity
(Limited space available!). For those who qualify, we have a granted study where children ages -5-12 can receive an initial consultation and three follow-up consultations with. Dr. Shipon-Blum. In addition, children will receive a comprehensive speech and language evaluation. Families will receive reports following evaluations and appt summaries/goals/games etc. after follow-up consultations. For more information, on eligibility, contact us! 215-887-5748

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505 N. Old York Road   Jenkintown Square, Lower Level   Jenkintown, PA 19046
(215) 887-5748   smartcenter@selectivemutismcenter.org
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