Meet Chelsea

Chelsea has always been completely mute in all settings outside of her home. When Chelsea began pre-school, her teacher mentioned that she could have Selective Mutism. After researching more and trying to help her independently, Chelsea’s parents discovered the SMart Center!

Through the SMart Center, Chelsea’s family attended CommuniCamp™  and monthly follow-ups to help her build comfort, confidence, and social communication skills in the real-world and school environment! Since starting treatment, Chelsea is now fully verbal in ALL settings, including stores, restaurants, and in school!

Read more about how Chelsea overcame SM below!

–

How old was your child when you first noticed he/she was mute in select settings?

2.5 years old.

Please briefly summarize where/when your child was mute/not mute.

Chelsea was totally mute in every location besides home. She would hide behind us at stores and wouldn’t even play on playgrounds. If anyone would even look at her, she would be very uncomfortable.

What brought you to seek treatment at the SMart Center?

Chelsea had an amazing preschool teacher that suggested she may have Selective Mutism. Her pediatrician promised she was just shy and would outgrow this. After reading about what SM was, we tried to help her without treatment. Since she was not really improving, we decided to try the SMart Center.

What SMart Center services did you use?

  • CommuniCamp™ Intensive Group Treatment & Parent Training Program
  • Follow Ups
  • Medication Consultation
  • Books
  • Podcast

How often do/did you consult with the SMart Center?

Once a month.

What changes have you noticed?

Chelsea has made huge progress since starting at the SMart Center in February 2024. She is now able to talk to cashiers and store employees and not only play with other kids on playgrounds but also talk to them! She asks to go out to restaurants so she can order her own food. Another huge obstacle was toilet training. She had severe anxiety and fear regarding using the bathroom even at home. With the help and guidance of Dr. E, she overcame this very quickly and is using the bathroom at school with no issues. She has become verbal with 1 friend so far outside of school and is working hard to add more friends to her talking club. While she is still not talking at school her comfort level is great and we believe very soon she will be talking to more and more friends and teachers.

What S-CAT® strategies helped the most?

We really focused on making sure Chelsea was out and about as much as possible. We would have her on the frontline, doing handover take over (receipts, stickers, candy). She responds very to reward charts and visuals to make her understand what we are working on.

Do you have any “key” advice for parents going through it now?

Sometimes this treatment feels like a full-time job, but it’s really worth it. Follow what Dr. E says as closely as possible, and you will see results. Chelsea is very smart and stubborn, so it’s been a tough journey but she’s making so much progress! I felt like she would go into kindergarten still wearing pull-ups and surely never speak to anyone. We are so hopeful that she will be verbal this year in school!