On April 4th, join Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum, world-renowned Selective Mutism expert who pioneered the evidence-based Social Communication Anxiety Treatment® (S-CAT®), and fellow presenters Evelyn Klein, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, Sharon Armstrong, PhD, Jenna Blum, PsyD, and Jennifer Brittingham, LPC, for a day-long conference exploring Selective Mutism assessments and interventions in the school setting.
Early Bird and Group Rates Available | 6.5 CEU/CE Credits
CONTACT events@smartcenter.us
The conference will focus on:
- Assessing the mute child/teen to develop an IEP/504 plan
- How to assess learning and achievement
- Comorbid disorders that are common with SM & their effect on the development of school interventions and IEP/504 planning
- When to consider special education & how to classify it
- Development of IEP/504 plans using evidence-based strategies
- Review of case studies and videos to demonstrate key concepts to encourage a child/teen to be more verbal in school
- Audience questions to our expert panelists
Target Audience
This educational activity is intended for School Psychologists, Psychologists, Physicians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Nurses, Social Workers, Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists, Educators, Graduate Students, and Families
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. Elisa Shipon-Blum, an expert in treating children and adolescents with SM and developer of the CBT-based 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 their 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.
The conference will be led by world-renowned Selective Mutism expert, Dr. Elisa Shipon Blum. Dr. Shipon-Blum’s has helped thousands of children, teens, and young adults overcome selective mutism, social anxiety, extreme shyness, and related challenges. In addition to Dr. Shipon-Blum, the conference will feature other Selective Mutism experts, including Evelyn Klein, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, Sharon Armstrong, PhD, Jenna Blum, PsyD, and Jennifer Brittingham, LPC.
Friday, April 4, 2025
| 9AM – 10:30AM | Golden Rules and Key Philosophies for Assessing and Treating the Child/Teen With Selective Mutism Speaker: Elisa Shipon-Blum, DO |
| 10:30AM – 11:30AM | Assessing Communication in Children With Selective Mutism Speakers: Evelyn Klein, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL & Sharon Armstrong, PhD |
| 11:30AM – 11:45AM | Break |
| 11:45AM – 12:30PM | Providing Psychological Assessments to Children/Teens With Selective Mutism Speaker: Jenna Blum, PsyD |
| 12:30PM – 1:15PM | Addressing Comorbid Conditions in the School Setting through 504/IEP Plans Speakers: Jenna Blum, PsyD, Elisa Shipon-Blum, DO |
| 1:15PM – 2:15PM | Lunch |
| 2:15PM – 3:45PM | Tips and Strategies to Help Children From Pre-School to High School Speak in the School Setting Speaker: Jennifer Brittingham, LPC |
| 3:45PM – 4PM | Break |
| 4PM – 5PM | Case Studies/Review Speakers: Elisa Shipon-Blum, DO; Jenna Blum, PsyD; Jennifer Brittingham, LPC |
Can a group, school, or organization attend under one registration?
If you are attending for the purpose of receiving CE/CEU’s, then each individual who wants to obtain those credits must register separately. Also, the link to join will be unique to each registrant so links cannot be shared. Email events@smartcenter.us for group rates.
Will the conference be recorded?
Yes, a self-paced course will be available for a limited time.
What platform will you be using?
Zoom
This educational activity is 6.5 credit hours. We are approved providers of APA, NASP, ASHA, ACT 48, ASWB, NBCC, NY Boards, ACCME, and ANCC.ssional Education hours.
PRESENTERS
Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum bbbbbbbbbbbbb
Elisa Shipon-Blum DO, is the President & Director of the Selective Mutism, Anxiety and Related Disorders Treatment Center (SMart Center) located in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. She is the President of the Selective Mutism Research Institute (SMRI) a foundation established to study Dr. Shipon-Blum’s theories and treatment methodologies on Selective Mutism. In addition, Dr. Shipon-Blum is the Founder and Director Emeritus of the international organization, the Selective Mutism Association.
Dr. Shipon-Blum practices in Jenkintown, PA, and has developed the evidenced-based Social Communication Anxiety Treatment® (S-CAT)® from her years studying and researching individuals with Selective Mutism. She consults worldwide with families, treating professionals, and educators, and has helped over four thousand children from around the world overcome Selective Mutism.
Dr. Shipon-Blum lectures throughout the country and internationally on the topic of Selective Mutism, performs school evaluations and trainings for treating professionals, educators, and parents, and is considered one of the world’s leading experts in the treatment and understanding of Selective Mutism. She has been a featured expert on national television programs such as 20/20, CNN, Inside Edition, and Good Morning America as well as other local, national, and international television and radio broadcasts. In addition, she has been featured in Time Magazine, People Magazine and has interviewed with newspapers across the USA and Internationally, such as the New York times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, San Diego Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Palm Beach Post.
Dr. Shipon-Blum is presently involved in multiple collaborative research projects with top researchers and clinicians. In addition to her research, she has written numerous articles and books on Selective Mutism and anxiety including ‘Easing School Jitters for the Selectively Mute Child, the Ideal Classroom Setting For the Selectively Mute Child, Understanding Katie, the Summer Vacation and Back to School Guide. She has also produced numerous DVDs on the topics of treatment and assessment of Selective Mutism, and the development of school accommodations and interventions for mute children.
Dr. Shipon-Blum (or Dr. E as her patients refer to her) prides herself on being ‘down to earth’ and ‘easy to speak to’ and resides with her family in the northeast suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Notably, she is also the mother of a now adult, Sophie, who suffered from and overcame Selective Mutism and is the inspiration for the work she does each day. * Sophia is now a physician specializing in family medicine/integrative medicine.
Jennifer Brittingham, LPC bbbbbbbbbbbbb
Jennifer Brittingham is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who completed her master’s degree in the Clinical Counseling Psychology Program at Arcadia University in 2008.
Jennifer has been part of the Smart Center Team since 2005. She conducts S-CAT® Program evaluations and treatment to families, S-CAT® Parent coaching and training sessions to families across the country and abroad and provides school consultation and training to school districts and other organizations both on-site and via web workshops.
In addition to her work with clients and families, Jennifer provides clinical training to doctoral trainees at the Smart Center and professionals who participate as counselors at the Smart Center’s intensive group treatment, CommuniCamp™.
Jennifer graduated from Arcadia University with her M.A. in Clinical Counseling Psychology in 2008 and was a Pennsylvania Counseling Association Graduate Leader from 2007 to 2008. Prior to her work at the SMart Center, Jennifer has worked as a case manager for children with intellectual disabilities, college counselor, as well as a college drug and alcohol counselor and support group leader.
Jenna Blum, PsyD bbbbbbbbbbbbb
Dr. Jenna Blum received her Doctor of Psychology from Chestnut Hill College’s Psy.D. Program. She also received her Master of Science from Chestnut Hill College in August 2020. Prior to graduate school, she received a B.A. at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA in 2018 where she majored in Psychology and minored in Creative Writing.
Dr. Jenna holds many titles at the SMart Center. Not only is she a Lead Clinician, but she is also the Supervisor and Director of CommuniCamp Counselors. Dr. Jenna has experience working with children, teens and adults with a wide array of acute and chronic mental illness, such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, autism and learning challenges. She also co-facilitated anxiety and depression groups for children and adolescent groups and has administered full-battery psychological assessments including autism spectrum disorder (ADOS). She also co-created virtual CommuniCamp which is modeled after SMart Center’s popular in-person intensive group treatment and parent education program, CommuniCamp. Dr. Jenna is certified in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Second Edition (ADOS-2), the Trauma Recovery Empowerment Model (TREM) – a weekly intervention for women with trauma – Jenna is trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) – an intervention to treat children between ages 2 and 7 with disruptive behavior problems. Overall, Dr. Jenna’s academic training has been grounded in the use of Psychodynamic Therapy and Family Systems practice but also implements Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing.
Evelyn Klein, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL
Dr. Evelyn R. Klein is a professor at La Salle University in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders where she teaches, supervises, and advises students pursuing degrees in speech-language pathology. She holds professional licensures as a speech-language pathologist and psychologist. Dr. Klein is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She holds Supervisory Certification in Special Education from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and is an ASHA Board-Certified Specialist in Child Language. She was awarded the Clinical Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Distinguished Faculty Scholarship Award from La Salle University.
As a practicing clinician, Dr. Klein continues to assess and treat children, teens, and adults at the CASTLE Lab at La Salle University and in private practice at Klein and Ruiz Speech-Language Pathology. Her areas of specialization include selective mutism, autism spectrum disorders, language-learning disabilities, acquired language disorders, stuttering, and counseling for communicative disorders.
Dr. Klein is published in peer-reviewed journals and has co-authored textbooks and treatment manuals including ECHO: A Vocal Language Program for Easing Anxiety in Communication; EXPRESS (Expanding Receptive and Expressive Skills through Stories): Language Formulation for Children with Selective Mutism and Other Communication Needs; More Than Fluency: The Social, Emotional, & Cognitive Dimensions of Stuttering; and Acquired Language Disorders: A Case-Based Approach (4th edition) in addition to the Focus On Function series. She is an expert reviewer for academic journals and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the national Selective Mutism Association.
Sharon Lee Armstrong, PhD bbbbbbbbbbbbb
Dr. Sharon Lee Armstrong is Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of PsyD Research and Dissertations at La Salle University in the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology, which is located in the Department of Psychology where she teaches, supervises dissertations, and advises students pursuing doctoral degrees in clinical psychology. She is also Associate Faculty Member at Rutgers University Center for Cognitive Science, and Research Consultant at the Selective Mutism Research Institute.
Dr. Armstrong currently teaches doctoral-level courses in Cognitive Science and in Research Methods for the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology. She previously taught the courses, Language and Communication and Language Development for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Much of her work with students involves chairing individual students’ dissertations in her areas of expertise and research specialization..
Dr. Armstrong’s research specializations within Cognitive Science are psycholinguistics, language development, concepts / categorization / semantics, reasoning, decision making, and metacognition. Her research has investigated these topics in typical and special populations (e.g., children with selective mutism, autism spectrum disorder, or ADHD; adults with aphasia and TBI. She is presently supervising dissertations focusing on adolescents and adults with SM and or ASD. Dr. Armstrong has published her research findings in numerous peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, and has co-authored a treatment manual, EXPRESS (Expanding Receptive and Expressive Skills through Stories).
She is a member of several scholarly societies including the American Psychological Association Divisions 3: Experimental Psychology, 5: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, and 53: Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Association for Psychological Science, Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science, Society for Philosophy & Psychology, Psychonomic Society, Selective Mutism Association. She is an expert reviewer for academic journals and serves as an accreditation site visitor for the American Psychological Association.