selective mutism | Imamother

amother

Wed, Jun 23 2010, 11:30 pm

My 5 yr old dd very likely has this, she fits almost all criteria.

I need a recommendation for a child psychiatrist in the Brooklyn area who is very experienced in selective mutism.

She will be getting SETTS teacher 5 days a week for the entire year as of September to help her with reading skills and math skills, but her social worker feels she would greatly benefit from therapy, so that she can get the full benefit from the SETTS teacher.

Any help would be appreciated!

Isher

Thu, Jun 24 2010, 12:46 am

There is a woman Shaindel Cohen from Lakewood (I believe as a kid she was diagnosed as having select mutism she overcame it) I hear she does wonders with kids. My daughters school brought her down to work with her classmate.

Sorry I don't have additional info about her. Good Luck.

shluchamom

Thu, Jun 24 2010, 1:20 am

theres a very successful therapist iin NJ her name is shari gross but you can check out the website selectivemutism.org and they should be able to find you someone.

MommyZ

Thu, Jun 24 2010, 1:32 am

How did you get that diagnosis? My son seems to be unable to communicate when he feels stressed, wants something or is in a large group of his peers. He has to be prompted and sometimes several times.

amother

Thu, Jun 24 2010, 8:17 am

Thanks for your responses. Unfortunately, NJ is not an option,but I will try to contact them maybe they can give me a recommendation.

selectivemutism.org charges $45 for access to their provider list, I'd rather not pay if I don't have to.

MommyZ, she was evaluated by the Board of Ed so she can get help with her reading. Between teacher,parent interviews, and me strongly suspecting before this,we came to that conclusion. Even her ped. noticed at her last visit. It's a form of social phobia, she'll only talk in front of ppl she is comfy with, and those she's not, like one of her teachers, my SIL and BIL, she'll completely ignore them, won't even make eye contact. She'll talk to her friends in school, but if she sees her teacher within earshot, she'll stop. It's also a form of anxiety.

Also in an old thread on the subject on here, one poster metioned that this usually comes from a trauma, but that is absolutely NOT true. Silence resulting from a trauma is usually sudden and the child will be silent with almost everyone, including parents. That is not the case with selective mute kids. They (andmy dd) speak normally at home,and with neighbors etc.

pina colada

Thu, Jun 24 2010, 9:04 am

Maybe Shaindel Cohen can guide you. She is supposed to be very successful in dealing with selective mutism.

Isramom8

Thu, Jun 24 2010, 9:47 am

Did you have her evaluated for all and any concerning symptoms? Those you mentioned could be part of a larger picture.

abismommy

Thu, Jun 24 2010, 2:53 pm

Shaindel Cohen
I second giving her a call, or at least listening to her tape. She spoke a bunch of years ago at the Torah Umesorah Convention. You can get a copy by calling Torah Umesorah's Office.

Queen18

Thu, Jun 24 2010, 6:40 pm

My sister in law is a speech therapist is Brooklyn and has successfully treated children with this. If you want her information you can pm me.

amother

Fri, Jun 25 2010, 11:06 am

Thanks so much for all your responses. I will contact Shaindel Cohen.

If there are any other names anyone can throw my way, would be greatly appreiciated!

amother

Gold

Sat, Nov 21 2015, 11:01 pm

Does anyone if there is someone in in New York or New Jersey who utilizes shaindel Cohen's methods?