About Us

What is the Selective Mutism Program?

Our program assesses children and youth with selective mutism, a form of childhood anxiety. The child is able to speak but does not speak in certain situations, like at school, because of his or her anxiety.

How do I know if my child has selective mutism?

Your child can speak when he or she is comfortable, like at home, but doesn’t speak in certain settings, such as school. This has been happening for at least 3 months, or 6 months if English is not your child’s first language.

What does the Selective Mutism Program do?

We support you and your child’s school in creating a long-term plan to reduce your child's anxiety and generate functional speech.

To be accepted for a consultation in our program, your child must be aged 4-18 years, have established conversational language and with no more than a mild developmental disability.

When you are accepted to the program, you will come in for an assessment of your child’s mental health and communication abilities. This takes about 3 hours, and you and your child will be together the entire time. We will not try to make your child talk. We would like you to bring in a recorded speech sample, and we can observe through a one-way mirror with your consent.

Before you leave, we will give you a package of information to keep and one to share with your child’s school. We will mail you a written report of the assessment and we will refer you to other programs at CPRI if needed.

Our goal is to make a plan to help your child in your home community and school. We will follow up with you and the school by telephone or meetings at the school.

Where does this happen?

The initial assessment is done in a playroom or an interview room at CPRI in London, Ontario. Follow-up support is typically telephone contact with the school and family team, or a school visit.

If you choose not to proceed with the assessment, please feel free to access our list of resources. We also provided education and consultation about selective mutism to communities.

New

Archived webinar on Selective Mutism presented by Dr. Jeff St. Pierre

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