August 30, 2007.

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to wish you a good start of the fall, a good start of the academic year for your patients, families, and students.

I also would like to inform you that I will be starting again the "Social Skills Group" for children of various ages. I choose the children carefully so that they learn from each other, and from the therapy that I provide, and I try to match children not only for age, but also for how they will contribute with each other for their needs and developmental stages.

I am very pleased to tell you that during the Summer I was able to finish a couple of projects, and one of them will be published in a couple of weeks: "Sophie's Story: A Guide for Parents and Teachers about Selective Mutism". Selective Mutism is a condition that seems to be more frequent than believed before (about 1% of the general pediatric population), and it affects children very early in life, but they are often diagnosed only 2 years after presenting chronic symptoms of anxiety, social anxiety, and isolation due to the lack of intervention early enough. Please, take a look at my website in a couple of weeks for the description of the book, and how to purchase it. There is very little understanding of this condition in the medical as well as educational environment, and I will be glad to make a presentation to your staff and parents about it.

I was also able to have two articles published, one in Israel (The Israel Pediatrics Journal), and one in Brazil (The Albert Einstein Hospital Scientific Journal). Both articles focused on the very important role of pediatricians in "preventing" mental health issues from becoming more chronic if they recognize difficulties in this area early enough, and communicate with parents about them. Finally, the second edition of my book on ADHD in adults came out in Brazil, and I was able to present at a conference there, and Dr. Russell Barkley was there also.

I am looking forward to working with you and with your staff, and patients (or students) in the academic year of 07-08. Please, do not hesitate to call or write if you have any questions, suggestions, or if you wish me to come to your office and talk to you about the topics I mentioned above.

Thank you very much, and it has been a pleasure working with you in the past years.

Sincerely,
Dr. Vera Joffe, Ph.D