I'm so excited to announce that I recently passed my Board Exam and am now a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst!

This means that you may be eligible for insurance reimbursement depending on your child's diagnosis and your insurance policy.

I offer 1:1 Child Sessions as well as Parent Training with virtual or in-person options.

My interventions start by building a trusting relationship, finding meaningful communication goals, and creating a small step path to meet those goals all while having lots of fun! If you're interested in learning more, please email me at [email protected].

It means so much to be able to use both my lived experience with helping our daughter overcome her SM and now my academic experience to be able to help others on their own journey of overcoming SM.

- Kelly

As a parent of multiple children and with one of those children having high anxiety, I can say just how difficult it can be to make sure everyone's needs are met. Oftentimes our child with SM can be very controlling of their siblings and also very emotional if things don't go their way. From our experience, and from listening to other parents, it seems to be common that we "walk on eggshells" around our kids because we don't want to say or do the wrong thing that could cause a meltdown. We tend to do all the things for them out of concern that if we ask them to do any extra task, it will again, cause a meltdown. Plus, our other children may not be able to choose the meal or the family activity for fear it will upset our highly anxious child. With the Sound & Movement Program, parents having been noticing that their child is becoming more flexible and more enjoyable to be around. We don't feel like we have to walk on egg shells and they are more open to other people's suggestions. Why is this? My interpretation would be that when a child is in a prolonged state of fight/flight (their sympathetic autonomic nervous system is activated) they feel that they are "in danger" and in order to feel "safe" they need to make their environment as predictable as possible. By choosing what to eat, what game to play, telling others what the rules are, etc, they gain back some predictability which eases their anxiety. But, when the nervous system can begin picking up cues of safety in the environment, the need to control everything begins to decrease as does the need for others to walk on egg shells around them. Parents who have supported their child with the Sound & Movement Program consistently talk about how their kids are able to play together so much better and that the number and magnitude of meltdowns drops significantly. There is a weight lifted off the parents shoulders and they no longer feel the need to walk on egg shells around their child - I can tell you from experience, this is a great feeling! If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of the Sound & Movement Program, click HERE.

Please note, the Sound & Movement Program is not behavior-analytic in nature and is therefore not covered by my BACB credential.

Would you like to leave a testimonial about the services you have received from Selective Mutism H.E.L.P.? Your testimonial could give another family insight into the benefits of the services that are offered. Click HERE to access the submission form. Your testimonial is greatly appreciated!