CommuNico SLT

13/05/2026

If a child with Selective Mutism has never spoken to you before, please don’t ask them to speak 🙏

It usually comes from a good place...a gentle nudge, a quiet “go on, say hello” that feels encouraging in the moment.

But for a child with Selective Mutism, that small moment can add to their anxiety.

They’re not choosing silence and they’re not staying silent on purpose.

They can speak, just not in specific situations - not when all the attention suddenly is on them and they feel expected to perform.

What seems like a simple question can trigger a wave of anxiety, and instead of helping, it creates a freeze response.

Their body tightens and speaking, which might come easily in other settings, feels completely out of reach.

From the outside people might think it's hesitation, or even stubbornness (it's not!!), but on the inside it often feels closer to panic.

And the more it’s noticed or gently pushed, the heavier that pressure becomes, making it even harder for them to speak.

So instead of asking children with SM to speak, we can give them space, allow them to communicate in their own way, and focus on helping them feel comfortable rather than expecting them to respond.

Because confidence doesn’t grow from being put on the spot, it grows from feeling secure enough to make steps forward when they are ready 🥰

Please share with someone who this might help ❤️

And if you need our help for your child with Selective Mutism, send us a message through our website 😊

12/05/2026

A large percentage of an SLTs caseload is supporting autistic children, therefore specific training for SLTs in Autism is not just preferable, it's essential! Autistic children and young people need different approaches and it's important we get this right. Please sign this 🩷

I believe Speech Therapy is failing autistic children and that change is long overdue. This campaign calls to make additional autism-specific training mandatory for all prospective & practising NHS Speech Therapists. Please sign this petition today to Speak Up for Autism.

11/05/2026

🌟Top Tips for starting out with an iPad Communication app (high-tech AAC)🌟

09/05/2026

MindJam are a unique service offering online support and mentoring through the platform of online gaming, building trust and building on their confidence and skills. Particularly helpful for neurodivergent children and teenagers, also those with PDA profiles benefit hugely from this service. I have a few families who have shared very positive feedback on this service. 🩷

Emotional and SEN support for young people through gaming, game design and digital skills. MindJam supports through mentoring and counselling.

09/05/2026

09/05/2026

Thank you so much Spectropolis - Pay it Forward 🩷🩷

07/05/2026

Today I met the lovely Beverley Maw, Occupational Therapist from BMOT today who had travelled a long way to join me for a visit to see a lovely client. Joint work and collaboration is so important for clients with complex sensory, physical and communication needs.

I took an hour out lunchtime between visits to connect and catch up over a coffee, with a lovely beach scene! We had so much to talk about and uncovered so many similarities with our personal and professional values. Integrity, transparency and empathy were definitely our top shared values. We are also both non-stop business owners who can't just work 9-5 and want to help as many people as possible, (Sometimes to the detriment of our own wellbeing). However it's good to recognise this and it's so validating when you meet someone in the same boat!

Looking forward to more joint working, networking and coffee ☕ 🩷

06/05/2026

Highly recommend AP Cymru for any families in need of support 🩷

We are going to say this again… because it matters…

You do NOT need a diagnosis to access our support.

If your child is struggling…
If you’re questioning things…
If you’re waiting for answers…

You are welcome here 🥰

We support children and young people based on need, not diagnosis. Because support shouldn’t start at diagnosis… it should start when a family needs it most.

No long waits.
No proving yourself.
No ticking boxes.

Just understanding, support, and a community that gets it!

All roads lead to AP Cymru. And we’re here when you need us.

Contact us via our website www.apcymru.org.uk
WhatsApp 07418 610673
Email enquiries@apcymru.org.uk

30/04/2026

Selective Mutism is often more than just anxiety around talking. There can also be a mixture of Autism, SM and PDA. This requires a good understanding of the nervous system and emotional safety and trust comes first. Progress takes time and small steps are important but ensuring the person is feeling safe and regulated at each stage. 🩷

Scrolling through FB today and reading some emails, I am constantly amazed at the lack of knowledge about where to start with supporting those with SM especially teenagers. Before we jump to “getting a teenager talking”, we need to ask a much more important question:

Do they feel safe enough to communicate at all?

One of the biggest misunderstandings around selective mutism is the assumption that silence is simply a lack of speaking behaviour that can be “worked on” through prompting, encouragement, rewards, speech practice, or direct elicitation.

But speech does not sit at the top of the pyramid.

It sits at the very end of a long chain of neurophysiological, emotional, sensory, relational, and communicative processes.

Many selectively mute teenagers are living in a state of chronic threat. Their nervous systems are not calmly choosing not to speak — they are protecting them. In that state, direct demands for speech can increase panic, shame, freezing, dissociation, and avoidance.

Before speech work comes:

• felt safety
• trust
• co-regulation
• autonomy
• reduction of performance pressure
• predictable interactions
• sensory safety
• relationships without hidden demands
• acceptance of all forms of communication
• reduced monitoring and scrutiny
• opportunities for success without speech
• nervous system regulation
• connection before expectation

And perhaps most importantly:

The young person needs repeated experiences of adults who are safe to be silent with.

Teenagers with selective mutism are often exhausted by years of being watched, prompted, praised for tiny verbal responses, discussed in front of others, or treated as communication projects rather than human beings.

Speech may emerge when safety emerges.

And sometimes progress looks like:
– staying in the room
– communicating nonverbally
– tolerating proximity
– laughing
– texting
– whispering to one trusted person
– showing personality through actions before words

Those things are not “nothing”.

They are foundations.

If we skip the foundations and go straight to eliciting speech, we risk building intervention on anxiety rather than connection.

Communication grows in safety, not surveillance.

There’s lots in my upcoming book about this and Dawn and I will be delivering training and workshops on it