Joleen R. Fernald, PhD, CCC-SLP was awarded Board Specialty Recognition in Child Language from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Dr. Fernald follows Greenspan and Wieder’s model, DIRFloortime® , when working with children and families. She has a special interest in the social-emotional development of young children and its impact on their speech and language skills. As a speech-language pathologist, Dr. Fernald works with children who have a variety of communication disorders.
Dr. Fernald’s accomplishments relating to Selective Mutism include:
- partnering with Easter Seals NH in 2006 to begin the United States’ first multi-disciplinary clinic specifically for assessment and treatment of selective mutism and has recreated the model in the Tampa Bay area of Florida as well.
- PhD dissertation was a study of 303 children about the co-occurence of SM and sensory processing
- Fernald’s research and work was published in two webinars for ASHA as well as a book titled “The Source for Selective Mutism”, and another titled, “Overcoming Selective Mutism: The Parent’s Field Guide”.
- serving as a reviewer for many SM materials and publications
- Serving as the Secretary, Treasurer, and President of the Selective Mutism Association (selectivemutism.org), the US national non-profit which focuses solely on SM
- being State Coordinator for NH and now currently with FL for the Selective Mutism Association
- successfully assessed and supported over 2000 people with SM
- Additionally, I have a daughter who has overcome SM.
In 2018, Dr. Fernald co-founded REConnections Education Center, a private school that utilizes the DIRFloortime framework as its foundation to support children with individual differences.