EP77: How to Read the Subtle Messages From Your Child w/ Dr. Jenna Blum

Episode 77 of the Unspoken Words podcast features Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. Jenna Blum exploring the Look, Listen, and Learn framework — a structured approach that teaches parents, educators, and treatment professionals to understand what children communicate through behavior, body language, and silence.

The episode explores why observation matters more than focusing solely on speech — how a child's posture, facial expressions, and setting-specific communication patterns reveal the true underlying causes of mutism. Through real-world examples — a nine-year-old who clings to mom at family gatherings, and a school-age child who speaks at recess but shuts down during academics — they demonstrate how the same shutdown can signal different things: sensory overload, learning challenges, anxiety, or hidden ADHD.

The heart of the episode turns to practical application: using Look-Listen-Learn to identify contributing factors, understanding your child's baseline on the Social Communication Bridge®, and why functional assessment reveals what behavioral strategies alone cannot address. They discuss intensive programs like CommuniCamp, where clinicians observe children across real settings to build effective, individualized treatment plans.

The episode closes on a powerful reminder: children with SM are communicating constantly — we just need to learn their language.

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Chapters:

(03:45) How Body Language, Facial Expressions, and Posture Reveal What Your Child Needs

(10:09) How Sensory Overload, Academic Pressure, and Anxiety Show Up in Different Settings

(27:49) Why Your Child May Speak in One Place But Not Another—And What It Means

(46:20) Distinguishing Selective Mutism From ADHD, Learning Challenges, and Autism Traits

(49:27) How Look, Listen, and Learn Guides Assessment, Accommodations, and Real Progress

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: https://selectivemutismcenter.org/resources/

Ask Dr. E a question of your own!

Learn more about the host, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum

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Learn more about CommuniCamp, our 3+ day intensive group treatment and ALL DAY parent training & support program

Learn more about our 6-week, virtual social skills series, which are skills-based groups designed to help children, teens, & young adults build social communication, comfort, and connection with similar aged-peers in a supportive setting.

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For all podcast inquiries, please contact Dakota Hornak at ⁠dhornak@selectivemutismcenter.org⁠

This podcast was produced and published by New Edition Productions (neweditionconsulting.com)