| Holiday tips, Free Coaching Day, Progress is Possible... |
November/December Newsletter
Happy Holidays to you and your family!
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Featured Podcast Episodes
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"Selective Mutism and the Holiday Season"
This 14 minute podcast is full of tips to help your child as they prepare for a busy holiday season.
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Alexa: "Play Selective Mutism HELP Podcast, Episode 11" | |
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"Tips to Prevent Regression During a Holiday Break"
This 12 minute podcast will discuss the importance of keeping a routine, how to avoid communication regression, and how to avoid school refusal.
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Alexa: "Play Selective Mutism HELP Podcast, Episode 13"
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Friday, December 8th
11:30am-12:30pm EST
Free Sound & Movement Webinar
During this free webinar you will learn about the vagus nerve and its role in vocal output, understanding SM through the Polyvagal Lens, and about the unintegrated Primitive Reflexes that could be responsible for SM. You will also learn about the Sound & Movement Program and how it can help those affected by Selective Mutism start gaining momentum towards overcoming their silence. Click HERE for more information and to register.
Monday, December 11th
Free 20 Minute Coaching Day
Whether you are a past client, current client, looking to become an established client, or need a quick question answered, schedule a FREE 20-Minute Coaching Session with Kelly! If you can't make it on the free coaching day, all new clients can schedule a free consultation until the end of the year! Click HERE to schedule.
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Ask Kelly
"How can I help my child with ranking the difficulty of different forms of communication?"
Knowing where to start on the communication ladder is a very important first step. But, it can be hard to know where to start. I always recommend asking the child "How hard would it be to..." and having them rank it as Easy, Medium, Hard or on a 1-5 scale with 1 being Easy and 5 being Hard. The first time this is asked to our kids, they may look at us with a blank stare because maybe they've never ranked anything in this way. I recommend creating some silly "How hard would it be" questions that don't have to do with communication. For example: "How hard would it be to stand on 2 feet for 20 seconds?" Probably really Easy or a 1! "How hard would it be to stand on one foot for 20 seconds?" Maybe Medium or a 3 - it could be done, but they may have to really concentrate and work at accomplishing it. "How hard would it be to stand on no feet for 20 seconds?" IMPOSSIBLE! This sets the stage to discuss with them you will never make them do anything that is considered "Hard" or a "5" and together you will find things that are maybe a little challenging, but achievable. Through Parent Coaching we can work on finding the step your child is at on the Communication Ladder and how to break it down or make it more challenging based on how hard they feel the step is. For more information on Parent Coaching, click HERE!
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Proof that Progress is Possible! | |
(names have been changed to protect identity) | |
 | Carrie seemed to always struggle with getting ready for school in the morning. She struggled to wake up, was emotional, needed to be prompted to do the next step, and seemed to "forget" to grab something the second she needed to leave the house to get on the bus. Her parents seemed to try everything - have her go to bed earlier, set an alarm clock, get her clothes ready the night before, give her updates on how much time she had left to get ready, etc - but nothing seemed to be helping. The parents decided to try the Sound & Movement program towards the end of the last school year. The hope of this was to reduce the amount of anxiety Carrie was feeling by allowing her Nervous System to pick up cues of Safety in her environment instead of cues of Threat. Plus, we were wanting to mature her brain stem which could allow for higher-order thinking instead of getting stuck in the emotional part of her brain. They recently reported that this school year has been so much better! Carrie is getting out of bed when her alarm goes off, gets ready without prompting, and has everything ready to go before needing to leave for the bus stop! There are no more arguments in the morning about getting ready, no more emotional outbursts, and no more needing to "grab one more thing." It has brought a sense of calm to all family members in the morning which makes everyone have a better start to their day. This is another great example that Progress is Possible! To learn more about the Sound & Movement Program, click HERE. | |
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Looking for a supportive community? The Selective Mutism H.E.L.P. Community of Support is a welcoming group for you to find support, ask questions, and to know that you are not alone. Join today! | |
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