Livingston resident Aarav Sekhri, a Newark Academy senior, presented MyBraveSprout to the Township Council on Monday, Oct. 26. It is a free web app he built to help children with selective mutism.

The project is personal. For the first six years of his life, Sekhri's younger sister could speak only with him and their parents, he told the council. At daycare, she would not speak with her teachers or peers, the West Essex Tribune reported.

Selective mutism is a childhood anxiety disorder that affects approximately 1 in 100 children, according to Sekhri's presentation. Children with the condition can speak comfortably at home but struggle in social settings like school.

Sekhri said on the MyBraveSprout website that watching his sister's progress showed him how important it was for support to continue beyond scheduled sessions. As he learned computer science and software development, he began building a tool that could offer low-pressure speaking practice at home.

His sister eventually became more comfortable speaking in settings that had once felt overwhelming. She was later elected president of her school, according to the site.

How the app works

MyBraveSprout offers parent-guided conversation games for children ages 8 and under. Each activity follows four stages: children first interact with an on-screen character through simple games, then meet additional characters, then practice short guided conversations, and finally work through more realistic speaking scenarios.

The platform is free. It is meant to be used alongside a parent and to supplement professional care, not replace it, according to the site. A licensed clinical psychologist specializing in childhood anxiety and selective mutism has provided feedback on activity design.

Growing reach

The Essex County Board of Commissioners recognized Sekhri with a Board commendation around Oct. 21. In a post on Instagram, the commissioners said more than 300 families are using the platform and its Facebook community has grown to more than 10,000 followers.

Sekhri has received feedback from clinicians in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., China and Hong Kong, as well as schools in India, according to the commissioners' post. He presented MyBraveSprout at the Selective Mutism Association's annual conference in Boston. The project was also featured at the Selective Mutism International Conference in the U.K.