Silence is Not Golden

Book excerpt: Chronic shyness can pose a serious threat to a child's academic, emotional, and social development. Children who are extremely shy may miss out on important learning opportunities, have trouble making friends, and avoid activities and events that they might otherwise enjoy. This can be troubling for parents and school-based professionals who do not have enough time or expertise to coax shy children out of their shells. Silence is Not Golden: Strategies for Helping the Shy Child provides information for parents and educators on the nature of chronic shyness and its most common clinical manifestations among children (such as social anxiety and selective mutism, the refusal to talk in certain situations or settings). Kearney, an expert in childhood anxiety disorders, offers strategies for helping readers to determine the form and purpose of a child's shy, anxious, and avoidant behaviors, and methods for enhancing a child's participation in social interactions at school and elsewhere, with the ultimate goal of preventing such problems from recurring in the future. Alongside social anxiety and selective mutism, other types of anxiety that may cause a child to appear shy in more specific situations-such as separation anxiety and certain phobias-are also discussed. Presented in a conversational style, Silence is Not Golden features widespread visuals, open spaces for writing, step-by-step procedures, and other pedagogical features that enhance its utility, clarity, and responsiveness. This book is a must-read for parents and teachers, as well as professionals who work with shy children, including clinical child psychologists and psychiatrists, social workers, and pediatricians.