Shy Child? You Could Be Wrong!

Are you sure you just have a shy child? You could be wrong! Your shy child could actually have social anxiety. Well- meaning parents and teachers often over-look the signs of social anxiety in children, or attribute them to something else... shyness, lazy, tired, etc.

If your child seems very shy, you really need to start paying closer attention, and asking a lot of questions. If it is something deeper, you will want to take some form of action immediately to help your child.

Some signs are a little more obvious that your shy child has something more, like:

• Consistently not speaking in front of class or in any other social situation
• Consistently getting physically sick before any social situation
• Making up excuses to avoid any social situation

Some signs are not clear that your child is more than just shy, like:

• Consistently missing lunch at school (fear of eating in front of others)
• Poor report card comments due to no participation in class (fear of answering questions, etc)
• Poor grades (fear of asking the teacher for help)

You really need to talk to your child and ask a lot of questions. Really listen to the answers, and don't dismiss it as just having a shy child when it looks like it could be a form of social anxiety.

So, are you sure you just have a shy child? Can you, at the stake of your child, afford to be wrong?