“From the moment I reached out to Annie with questions regarding selective mutism, she has been wonderful to work with. She was responsive to my inquiries and took the time to clearly explain the evaluation process to me, and then kindly fit our family into her already busy schedule. She collaborated with our daughter’s teacher, who also has nothing but good things to say about Annie, to schedule an in-school observation followed by a visit to our home. Due to the nature of our daughter’s struggles with social anxiety and selective mutism, we were not sure how she would handle a session with someone she had never met, but Annie provided instruction in advance of what we could do to make the introduction go smoothly. Her warm and accepting approach made our daughter feel comfortable enough to speak with her and provide the information required for evaluation. Since that time, Annie has been able to refer us to other, equally wonderful providers to assist with our daughter’s care, and has helped us navigate the 504 planning process with her school. Annie is so clearly invested in helping the children and families she works with, and we could not be happier to have been able to work with her.”
“Annie’s SM courses, both 101 and 102, were both so informative and helpful. I am working with my first student diagnosed with SM, and after taking these courses I felt prepared and excited for this new journey. Annie’s willingness to listen to questions, have conversations during the courses and overall expertise and knowledge made these webinars a truly wonderful experience. Thank you Annie!”
“Annie DiVello has been instrumental in helping us navigate our daughter’s diagnosis of selective mutism. She has supported us in every way! We have been able to meet all the needs of our daughter and her improvements have been remarkable. She truly treats the whole child and has helped us coordinate support in the school setting and educated us in how to support our daughter in the community. Annie has come to our home, to our daughter’s school, has done “brave outings” with us in the community, and facilitated friendship groups to help our daughter navigate tricky social communication. My daughter loves working with Annie which really helps motivate her to tackle the hard work she needs to do to find her brave voice. Annie has also spent so much time fielding my questions and worries! She always goes above and beyond! We have learned so much and couldn’t have done it without Annie! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful and amazing professional in our area. I will never be able to express how thankful I am for all of Annie’s help and guidance!”
“I attended a workshop given by Annie DiVello and her team at New England Pediatric Services and later engaged Annie to provide consultative support to my school team around selective mutism. Annie is exceptionally knowledgeable and was able to share information with my school team in a thorough and sensitive manner, meeting the needs of both school staff and family. Annie has been an invaluable resource, providing flexible supports that take into consideration our team’s individual needs, meeting team members where they are at and moving forward. She is a collaborator who is able to skillfully merge her knowledge and expertise with the realities that exist within the confines of the public school setting. Her consultative support has been invaluable.”
“We are truly blessed to have Annie DiVello as our Brave Talking Coach for our daughter. When you meet Annie, you will see that she loves what she does, she is passionate about her mission and she cares deeply about the children she coaches. Annie easily shares and teaches from the wealth of knowledge that she carries from many years of experience in the field of selective mutism.
Before working with Annie, our daughter had a very limited voice in her school and no voice in the community. After working with Annie, our daughter is now comfortable and verbal with almost all the teachers and staff, almost all the children and in many different settings in the school. She can speak up, ask questions, and self-advocate! She is also verbal in many areas of the community. Our daughter can now use her brave, strong voice to help her to thrive and grow into the beautiful person who she really wants to be. Thank you, Annie!”
“Finding Annie has been a godsend for our entire family. We had a feeling that our daughter had Selective Mutism, after discovering she was not talking at preschool. We didn’t know what to do and didn’t know anyone else whose children had gone through this. After finding Annie and getting started with a diagnosis and treatment plan, we feel an immense sense of relief. We are not alone! Annie goes above and beyond what you would expect and is SO good at what she does. We have had such a wonderful experience.”
“I am a third-grade teacher in a seacoast NH school. In September, I met a new student diagnosed with selective mutism. She did not speak at all in the classroom or respond to any staff in the building. Behind closed doors, she would speak with her Speech and Language Teacher and several close friends during lunchtime meetings. She attended sessions with Annie throughout our school year. Annie instructed me on a sequence of goals to set for the student beginning with one-word responses during math class and progressing to small rehearsed sentences over the course of a few months. Currently, the student is participating naturally in class meetings and speaking in multiple sentences that are unrehearsed. During our Science Fair, she volunteered to read her poster to her peers and for TEN minutes taught her peers about arctic animals in a voice audible across the room! It was a truly miraculous achievement and a joy to witness. A heartfelt “thank you” to the wonderful efforts of Annie.”
“Our experience with Annie has been nothing short of a miracle. Our son has struggled with SM for 5 years and we’ve struggled just as much to find anyone that has any expertise in helping him. The first time I talked to Annie, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She was the first person we’ve ever talked to that truly had an idea as to what our son was going through and how to help him. We had our team meeting with our son’s school this week and Annie drove 2 hours, both ways, to be there with us. We cannot thank her enough for her devotion to helping our child. There are no words to describe how relieved and grateful my wife and I are that we found Annie. We feel hopeful about the future for the first time since our son was diagnosed.”
“I cannot sing the praises of Annie DiVello and the team at New England Pediatrics loud enough. As a speech and language assistant having no prior experience with Selective Mutism, I am incredibly grateful to have had the guidance of a specialist in the field when a student with SM moved into the district almost 3 years ago. Annie has helped me step by step to increase this child’s confidence and bring their “brave voice” into the school setting, giving me the tools needed to be a successful Key Worker along the way. Not only has she helped me to increase the student’s confidence, she has helped me to become more confident in my sessions with the student as well. Annie is always available to answer any questions I may have and offers an unlimited amount of suggestions whenever I am feeling stuck. I can honestly say I don’t know where my student would be without her unwavering support.”
“INCREDIBLE!!! I emailed from an island in Alaska in hopes of some information on SM and the quick response was shocking to me and the time Annie took with me on the phone and email was priceless. I am beyond grateful! I do not feel so alone anymore, I feel empowered -THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!”
“Silence is the most powerful scream. Over the last few years, we have encountered more students with selective mutism. Annie has partnered with us and provided professional development that has had a profound impact on how we address our student needs. We didn’t always recognize what a powerful form of communication silence is, and with her partnership, we are meeting the needs of these students to ensure they are making meaningful progress. Thanks for all you do Annie!”
