Child who suffers from Shyness

Child who suffers from Shyness


Shyness is a common but little understood emotion. Everyone has felt ambivalent or self-conscious in new social situations. However, at times shyness may interfere with optimal social development and restrict children's learning.

What Is Shyness?

• A feeling of fear of embarrassment
• In humans, shyness (also called diffidence) is a social psychology term used to describe the feeling of apprehension, lack of confidence, or awkwardness experienced when a person is in proximity to, approaching, or being approached by other people, especially in new situations or with unfamiliar ...
• The quality of being shy; a fear of social interactions

The basic feeling of shyness is universal, and may have evolved as an adaptive mechanism used to help individuals cope with novel social stimuli. Shyness is felt as a mix of emotions, including fear and interest, tension and pleasantness. Increase in heart rate and blood pressure may occur. An observer recognizes shyness by an averted, downward gaze and physical and verbal reticence. The shy person's speech is often soft, tremulous, or hesitant. Younger children may suck their thumbs: some act coy, alternately smiling and pulling away.

Shyness is distinguishable from two related behavior patterns; wariness and social disengagement. Infant wariness of strangers lacks the ambivalent approach/avoidance quality that characterizes shyness. Some older children may prefer solitary play and appear to have low needs for social interaction, but experience none of the tension of the genuinely shy child.
Children may be vulnerable to shyness at particular developmental points. Fearful shyness in response to new adults emerges in infancy. Cognitive advances in self-awareness bring greater social sensitivity in the second year. Self-conscious shyness-the possibility of embarrassment-appears at 4 or 5. Early adolescence ushers in a peak of self-consciousness.

What Situations Make Children Feel Shy?

New social encounters are the most frequent causes of shyness, especially if the shy person feels herself to be the focus of attention. An "epidemic of shyness" has been attributed to the rapidly changing social environment and competitive pressures of school and work with which 1980s children and adults must cope. Adults who constantly call attention to what others think of the child, or who allow the child little autonomy, may encourage feelings of shyness.

Why Are Some Children More Shy than Others?

Some children are dispositionally shy: they are more likely than other children to react to new social situations with shy behavior. Even these children, however, may show shyness only in certain kinds of social encounters. Researchers have implicated both nurture and nature in these individual differences.
Some aspects of shyness are learned. Children's cultural background and family environment offer models of social behavior. Chinese children in day care have been found to be more socially reticent than Caucasians, and Swedish children report more social discomfort than Americans. Some parents, by labeling their children as shy, appear to encourage a self- fulfilling prophecy, Adults may cajole coyly shy children into social interaction, thus reinforcing shy behavior.
There is growing evidence of a hereditary or temperamental basis for some variations of dispositional shyness. In fact, heredity may play a larger part in shyness than in any other personality trait. Adoption studies can predict shyness in adopted children from the biological mother's sociability. Extremely inhibited children show physiological differences from uninhibited children, including higher and more stable heart rates. From ages 2 to 5, the most inhibited children continue to show reticent behavior with new peers and adults. Patterns of social passivity or inhibition are remarkably consistent in longitudinal studies of personality development.

Despite this evidence, most researchers emphasize that genetic influences probably account for only a small proportion of self-labeled shyness. Even hereditary predispositions can be modified. Adopted children do acquire some of the adoptive parents' social styles, and extremely inhibited toddlers sometimes become more socially comfortable through their parents' efforts.

Is Shyness Fear or Anxiety?

Technically, Shyness is anxiety in social situations. In speaking of anxiety, one thinks about a medical condition, a disease. Is Shyness a disease?

Let us see first the difference between fear and anxiety.

*Fear. Characteristics:
• apprehension in view of a real, objective threat,

• involving risk of life or physical harm.

*Anxiety. Characteristics:
• discomfort, in which apprehension predominates, in view of a threat seen with the "eyes of the imagination,"

• involving a vague risk, with or without physical harm.

However, the word "fear" has been consecrated by use, whether to describe Shyness, or to describe a situation in which the person feels threatened despite the absence of a real threat. This occurs even in medical publications and I myself use it in this website.

• Problem anxiety – Paradoxical as it may seem, medicine regards most anxieties as normal. To be a medical condition, anxiety has to meet certain criteria, such as:

*to occur most days in a period of at least 6 months;

*to show at least three of the following signs and symptoms: irritability, fatigue, restlessness, muscle tension, sleep disturbance, or trouble in concentrating.

The average individual has normal anxiety – It is regarded as normal that people feel threatened when there is actually no real danger, as long as this is occasional or in specific circumstances and provided that there is no significant harm done. Most shy people contribute to form this average standard. Between 40% and 50% of the world's population meet the diagnosis criteria for Shyness in its various types.

The vast majority of shy people are not regarded as sick nor bearers of anxiety disorder by medical criteria. The International Disease Classification, drawn up by the World Health Organization, only includes as disorders the more extreme cases of anxiety in social situations. Example: Social Phobia / Social Anxiety.
Shyness is a common occurrence linked to specific situations. Example: The person who is a bit tense, breathing out of synchrony, with his heart beating fast in certain situations, such as speaking in public. This is not out of the ordinary as long as these expressions of anxiety pass and do not harm speech or performance.

When Is Shyness a Problem?

Shyness can be a normal, adaptive response to potentially overwhelming social experience. By being somewhat shy, children can withdraw temporarily and gain a sense of control. Generally, as children gain experience with unfamiliar people, shyness wanes. In the absence of other difficulties, shy children have not been found to be significantly at-risk for psychiatric or behavior problems. In contrast, children who exhibit extreme shyness which is neither context-specific nor transient may be at some risk. Such children may lack social skills or have poor self-images. Shy children have been found to be less competent at initiating play with peers. School-age children who rate themselves as shy tend to like themselves less and consider themselves less friendly and more passive than their non-shy peers. Such factors negatively affect others' perceptions. Children who continue to be excessively shy into adolescence and adulthood describe themselves as being more lonely, and having fewer close friends and relationships with members of the opposite sex, than their peers.

Strategies for Helping a Shy Child

1. Know and Accept the Whole Child. Being sensitive to the child's interests and feelings will allow you to build a relationship with the child and show that you respect the child. This can make the child more confident and less inhibited.
2. Build Self-Esteem. Shy children may have negative self-images and feel that they will not be accepted. Reinforce shy children for demonstrating skills and encourage their autonomy. Praise them often. "Children who feel good about themselves are not likely to be shy".
3. Develop Social Skills. Reinforce shy children for social behavior, even if it is only parallel play. One psychologist recommends teaching children "social skill words" ("Can I play, too?") and role playing social entry techniques. Also, opportunities for play with young children in one-on-0one situations may allow shy children to become more assertive. Play with new groups of peers permits shy children to make a fresh start and achieve a higher peer status.
4. Allow the Shy Child to Warm Up to New Situations. Pushing a child into a situation which he or she sees as threatening is not likely to help the child build social skill. Help the child feel secure and provide interesting materials to lure him or her into social interactions.

Remember That Shyness Is Not All Bad. Not every child needs to be the focus of attention. Some qualities of shyness, such as modesty and reserve, are viewed as positive (Jones, Cheek, and Briggs, 1986). As long as a child does not seem excessively uncomfortable or neglected around others, drastic interventions are not necessary.

Communication in Autism

Understanding the link between autism and communication challenges can help a parent figure out how to help a child with autism. While a number of communication difficulties are common in pervasive developmental disorders, the right treatment plan can make a positive difference.


What Is Autism?

The brain disorder autism begins in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood affecting three crucial areas of development: verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play.

Autism is the most common of a group of conditions called pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). it involve delays in many areas of childhood development. The first signs of autism are usually noticed by the age of three. Many individuals who are autistic also develop epilepsy, a brain disorder that causes convulsive seizures, as they approach adulthood. Other characteristics may include repetitive and ritualistic behaviors, hand flapping, spinning or running in circles, excessive fears, self-injury such as head banging or biting, aggression, insensitivity to pain, temper tantrums, and sleeping and eating disturbances. Autistic individuals live a normal life span, but most require lifelong care and supervision.

How Do Speech and Language Normally Develop?


The most intensive period of speech and language development is during the first three years of life, a period when the brain is developing and maturing. These skills appear to develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others. At the root of this development is the desire to communicate or interact with the world.

The beginning signs of communication occur in the first few days of life when an infant learns that a cry will bring food, comfort, and companionship. Newborns also begin to recognize important sounds such as the sound of their mother's voice. They begin to sort out the speech sounds (phonemes) or building blocks that compose the words of their language. Research has shown that by 6 months of age, most children recognize the basic sounds of their native language.
As the speech mechanism (jaw, lips, tongue, and throat) and voice mature, an infant is able to make controlled sound. This begins in the first few months of life with "cooing," a quiet, pleasant, repetitive vocalization. Usually by 6 months of age an infant babbles or produces repetitive syllables such as "ba, ba, ba" or "da, da, da." Babbling soon turns into a type of nonsense speech called jargon that often has the tone and cadence of human speech but does not contain real words. By the end of their first year, most children have mastered the ability to say a few simple words. Children are most likely unaware of the meaning of their first words, but soon learn the power of those words as others respond to them.

By 18 months of age most children can say 8 to 10 words and, by age 2, are putting words together in crude sentences such as "more milk." During this period children rapidly learn that words symbolize or represent objects, actions, and thoughts. At this age they also engage in representational or pretend play. At ages three, four, and five a child's vocabulary rapidly increases, and he or she begins to master the rules of language. These rules include the rules of phonology (speech sounds), morphology (word formation), syntax (sentence formation), semantics (word and sentence meaning), prosody (intonation and rhythm of speech), and pragmatics (effective use of language).

What Causes Speech and Language Problems in Autism?


Although the cause of speech and language problems in autism is unknown, many experts believe that the difficulties are caused by a variety of conditions that occur either before, during, or after birth affecting brain development. This interferes with an individual's ability to interpret and interact with the world. Some scientists tie the communication problems to a "theory of mind" or impaired ability to think about thoughts or imagine another individual's state of mind. Along with this is an impaired ability to symbolize, both when trying to communicate and in play.

What Are the Common Problems of Autism?

Every person experiences autism differently and not everyone experiences the same set of symptoms. Autism is generally diagnosed in early childhood. Parents will notice a certain set of communication impairments.
Common autism communication problems can include:

• Social Skills Problems: The child may have difficulty interacting with others. He may prefer solitude and show no interest in making friends. Or he may want to make friends but does not know how to approach others and hold appropriate conversation.

• Verbal and Language Challenges: He displays a poor response to verbal instruction or misunderstands verbal speech.

• Speech Limitations: The child has limited to no verbal speech or unusual speech patterns. If he has speech, he has trouble sustaining a two-way conversation. He may seem to talk at people during a conversation.

• Echolalia: He might have patterns of repeating a word or phrases out of context. For example, he may hear a phrase on TV and then hours later repeat it.

• Mindblindness: He may have problems understanding the emotions of others and respond inappropriately. The difficulties understanding emotional responses can lead to misunderstandings in communication and social situations.

• Sensory Issues: There may be certain sounds, tastes or sights that bother him or provoke an unusual response. His response may not make sense to others and he does not know how to communicate the reasons for the response.

How Are the Speech and Language Problems Treated?

If autism or some other developmental disability is suspected, the child's physician will usually refer the child to a variety of specialists, including a speech-language pathologist, who performs a comprehensive evaluation of his or her ability to communicate and designs and administers treatment.
No one treatment method has been found to successfully improve communication in all individuals who have autism. The best treatment begins early, during the preschool years, is individually tailored, targets both behavior and communication, and involves parents or primary caregivers. The goal of therapy should be to improve useful communication. For some, verbal communication is a realistic goal. For others, the goal may be gestured communication. Still others may have the goal of communicating by means of a symbol system such as picture boards. Treatment should include periodic in-depth evaluations provided by an individual with special training in the evaluation and treatment of speech and language disorders, such as a speech-language pathologist. Occupational and physical therapists may also work with the individual to reduce unwanted behaviors that may interfere with the development of communication skills.

Some individuals respond well to highly structured behavior modification programs; others respond better to in-home therapy that uses real situations as the basis for training. Other approaches such as music therapy and sensory integration therapy, which strives to improve the child's ability to respond to information from the senses, appear to have helped some autistic children, although research on the efficacy of these approaches is largely lacking.

Medications may improve an individual's attention span or reduce unwanted behaviors such as hand-flapping, but long-term use of these kinds of medications is often difficult or undesirable because of their side effects. No medications have been found to specifically help communication in autistic individuals. Mineral and vitamin supplements, special diets, and psychotherapy have also been used, but research has not documented their effectiveness.

What Parents can do to Help

Parents can improve autism and communication difficulties by learning as much as possible about autism and the latest treatment options. They should pay close attention to how their child responds to different therapies and situations to figure out how the child best communicates and learns. The parents need to work closely with therapists, doctors and teachers. All of these things can help parents advocate for their child to find the best solution for his specific needs.

A child's rate of improvement depends upon the level of impairment, which can vary greatly in autism. Yet, once parents find the right treatment plan for their child, significant improvements in communication skills are possible.