EP61 of the Unspoken Words podcast features the latest installment of our Shining Stars series, where we sit down with former SMart Center patients – or their parents – and discuss how they overcame Selective Mutism. In this episode, we meet Dr. Amanda D’Angelo, mom of former SMart Center patient, Josiah.

 In this episode, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. D’Angelo discuss Josiah’s unique but relatable experience with Selective Mutism, breakthrough strategies and surprise moments, going from isolated to “full volume everyone”, and much, much more.

JOSIAH’S UNIQUE BUT RELATABLE EXPERIENCE WITH SELECTIVE MUTISM

Episode 61 begins with Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. Amanda D’Angelo discussing Dr. D’Angelo’s son, Josiah. 

Even as a mental health professional, Dr. D’Angelo initially misunderstood her son’s school silence as shyness rather than recognizing the broader functioning challenges of selective mutism, including toileting and eating difficulties that were later identified as connected symptoms.

BREAKTHROUGH STRATEGIES & SURPRISE MOMENTS IN JOSIAH’S SELECTIVE MUTISM JOURNEY

Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. D’Angelo continue their discussion by shining a light on how COVID significantly contributed to Dr. D’Angelo’s son Josiah’s selective mutism development, as masks prevented clear communication and facial expression reading while encouraging non-verbal gestures as the norm.

Dr. D’Angelo shares her experience finding the SMart Center through extensive online research and attending CommuniCamp, where the patient, knowledgeable staff and life-changing Social Communication Bridge methodology helped decode the mystery of her son’s communication challenges.

GOING FROM ISOLATED TO EXTROVERTED: HOW JOSIAH BECAME “FULL VOLUME EVERYWHERE”

Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. D’Angelo reach the middle of this podcast episode as they explain how learning the Social Communication Bridge helped Dr. D’Angelo understand that progress isn’t linear and that her son Josiah could bridge down without regressing, while also sharing his remarkable transformation from a child who wouldn’t enter classrooms to confidently presenting about Mercury to his entire school over a microphone. 

She discusses how COVID created lasting anxiety around illness for Josiah, including cough triggers, and how parents must address their own projected anxieties while consciously reintegrating into community activities to support their children’s social communication development.

COLLABORATING WITH TEACHERS AND SLOWLY INTEGRATING JOSIAH INTO DIFFERENT SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS

In this segment, Dr. Elisa-Shipon-Blum and Dr. D’Angelo discuss the critical importance of real-world social communication practice, emphasizing that families cannot develop confident verbal skills without deliberate community engagement beyond the convenience of online ordering and takeout services.

Dr. D’Angelo shares her family’s successful journey incorporating medication as an adjunct treatment after foundational behavioral work, Josiah’s dramatic peer relationship improvements from isolation to friendship, and offers practical advice to parents about meeting children where they are, addressing shame around selective mutism, and advocating persistently for their child’s needs.

ADVICE ON PARENTING A CHILD WITH SELECTIVE MUTISM

Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. D’Angelo wrap up their podcast episode by discussing how the Shining Stars series aims to provide hope to families by showing that selective mutism recovery is a journey that leads to success, with Dr. D’Angelo reflecting on her transformation from fearing her son might never live independently to watching him confidently present to his entire school.

The conversation highlights the importance of teacher training through telehealth consultations, ongoing professional support for building children’s independence and self-confidence, and how activities like swimming with an occupational therapist helped Josiah develop both his sensory integration and social connections while revealing his true extroverted personality.