Children who suffer from persistent extreme shyness in school may never recover and suffer from problems in adulthood as a result, according to a psychology professor.
"Shy kids are at risk later on for being lonely, for being depressed, more seriously anxious and for having problems with relationships. It can be a very difficult experience for them," Dr. Robert Coplan a psychology professor at Carleton University told CTV's Canada AM.
Coplan, an expert on childhood shyness, first began working with introverted children as a camp counsellor in Montreal. Along with other researchers, Coplan is currently conducting interventions with children in the Ottawa area in an attempt to prevent them from developing social phobias and depression in adulthood.
While Coplan said it is normal for most children to feel shy when they go to school, he said it takes most students a few weeks in school to settle into a regular pattern. Coplan recommends that parents should monitor their children on an individual basis.
Signs that children may be suffering from serious shyness include they are often upset, crying and rarely talking to anyone after the settling-in period.
"They're feeling nervous there and it's starting to interfere with their ability to do day-to-day things," Coplan said.
According to Coplan, school can be an unforgiving environment for children who are extremely shy. A shy child's intelligence may be misinterpreted by a teacher and they could fare badly in instances when class participation is required.
"For shy kids, it's really tough," Coplan says. "When the teacher says, 'What's the answer to four plus five?' and points to someone, then all the eyes in the class are on this shy child, who can be really nervous and anxious in that particular situation."
Coplan said research has indicated there is a strong biological link to shyness that can be traced to the nervous system. The studies are based on breakthroughs made by psychologist Jerome Kagan, who found biological similarities among children in his work over 30 years ago.
"It's like their body is telling them that something scary is going to jump around the corner at them even when they're in a relaxed situation," Coplan said.
Coplan urges parents not to try to solve their children's problems for them as this strategy can prove to be counterproductive.
"The shy kids never learn to develop a coping strategy that will help them deal with feelings ... so parents need to sort of teach them to help themselves," Coplan said.
