With no nearby specialists in Montana, the family has relied on virtual coaching and at-home therapy techniques while fighting for coverage Now, the 33-year-old is speaking out about the lack of ...

“That gap between who she is at home and who the world gets to see is the hardest part of all of this,” Ava’s mother, Chelsea Jenkins, tells PEOPLE In January 2026, a Montana mother discovered her ...

Children with selective mutism do not speak at school or in other public places where others might hear them, or they speak only in a barely audible whisper. These children speak freely and easily, ...

Rachel Ling Gordon wasn’t always so outgoing. When she was a toddler, she was diagnosed with selective mutism, a social communication anxiety disorder. Wowing the crowd at a magic show is no small ...

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Belle* is six years old. Like many children, she is a playful and often boisterous child at home with her family. Unlike many children, she has an anxiety disorder which renders her speechless and ...

Chelsea Jenkins and her family. When Chelsea Jenkins' 4-year-old daughter, Ava, was diagnosed with selective mutism in January 2026, the 33-year-old mother of four immediately began searching for ...