Selective Mutism

Selective Mutism is when a child can talk easily in some places, like at home, but feels too scared or anxious to speak in other settings, like school or around unfamiliar people. At Andalusia Speech Therapy, we know how heartbreaking and frustrating this can be for both the child and their family. Our caring and experienced therapists are here to help children find their voices and feel safe speaking in all situations. We create gentle, personalized plans that build confidence step by step—starting with feeling comfortable making sounds or whispering, then gradually working toward talking in more challenging places.

We also support families every step of the way, offering guidance and encouragement so progress can happen at home, at school, and beyond. Our goal is to help children feel brave enough to speak up and share their thoughts, no matter where they are. You don’t have to go through this alone—reach out to us today, and let’s work together to help your child find their voice.

What to expect during your visit:

There are two approaches that we take when working with children who have selective mutism:

The first is an approach where the primary goals are general speech therapy goals (i.e. articulation, language, stuttering, etc.). For these children, we use strategies to get your child more comfortable working with us, to the point where they feel safe and familiar enough to talk to us directly. We model the other speech therapy goals we want to target, and when your child is speaking to us directly and frequently, we target them directly with your child in speech therapy sessions.

The second approach is when you don’t have speech therapy goals necessarily for your child, but the communication issue is the selective mutism itself. Selective mutism is a form of anxiety, and can impact communication long term if not addressed early or with enough support. Don’t worry, you can make progress at any age! In this form of therapy, most of the work is done through caregiver coaching, so the child does not need to be present for the therapy and we provide education on selective mutism and anxiety, and coach you through desensitization stages and strategies to support you child in various environments until they are speaking freely.

Some families want to work on speech therapy goals and selective mutism at the same time, and we can do that too! Get in touch to see how we can help today.

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Speech Therapists in Canada That Make a Difference

With over 10,000 sessions per year for children, teens, and adults, Andalusia is the trusted choice for speech therapy in Canada. You can expect outstanding service from our hand-picked licensed speech therapists with extensive experience to serve your exact speech challenges.

You can attend your sessions online or in person at one of our locations in your area.

We consistently receive positive feedback for our personalized approach, transformative results, skilled therapists, and support staff.

You or your loved one will receive efficient guidance every step of the way to confident and effective communication.

Our speech therapy services

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