My niece, Emma, didn’t speak a single word during her entire first year at kindergarten. At home, she’d chatter away like any other five-year-old, but the moment she entered the classroom, silence took over. It wasn’t shyness. It wasn’t defiance. It was something much deeper—something that, honestly, I didn’t even know existed until her pediatrician…
Last week, I found myself sitting on the edge of my daughter’s bed, trying to find the right words to answer a question she asked out of nowhere: “Why does it feel like my heart beats too fast when I’m scared?” As a parent, especially one who’s dealt with anxiety my entire adult life, I…
Some kids talk nonstop at home but go completely silent at school. It can leave parents baffled, teachers concerned, and the child quietly overwhelmed. I remember one of my neighbor’s daughters—brilliant at home, funny, articulate—but once she stepped into the classroom, total silence. That’s how I stumbled upon something I had barely heard of before:…
If you’ve ever watched your child freeze up completely when someone speaks to them—and I mean not just shy or hesitant, but absolutely silent—you might know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s not rudeness. It’s not just shyness. It’s something deeper, more paralyzing. My nephew went through this, and at first, we just thought he…