/2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/ Supporting children's language, communication and learning Wed, 24 Sep 2014 07:59:32 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3 /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7967 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:18:40 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7967 Thank you Pol! ‘Quietness’ is a very popular subject indeed! I suppose being quiet becomes an issue if the individual finds that it is a barrier to functioning well in a group. However there are real knacks to being in groups (e.g. meetings) where everyone can have the opportunity to participate. In many cases talking can just prolong meetings, and often what happens before, between and after meetings is what really counts.
Having said that, there is often a need to help very quiet children, who are finding school difficult, to develop skills that will make sure they are included in groups. This is something Maggie Johnson develop in our book, ‘Supporting Quiet Children’.
There is also a great book that looks closely at effective leadership, which includes many ideas about effective communication in meetings, how to give feedback to colleagues etc. These ideas help everyone to participate in their own way that they feel comfortable with. The book is ‘Engaging Leaders’ by Paul Gentle.
Very best wishes and thank you for responding.
PS My latest post further explores the theme, but be warned,, I do slate Simon and Garfunkel quite a bit!!

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7966 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:07:35 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7966 HI I’m only seeing this now and I echo Carolyn’s thanks for the great post. I’m reading “quiet the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking” and see myself and my daughter in this experience. I am an educational psychologist who often speaks in front of hundreds of people and who attends meetings all day with people yet I am completely introvert in that I love being alone with my thoughts. My daughter yesterday shared with me that she “Loves solitude”: being on her own is never a problem for her. She enjoys her friends and loves interacting with them yet prefers to be alone. Anything wrong with that? I don’t think so !

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7963 Sun, 13 Jul 2014 19:56:49 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7963 Thank you Fiona
Michael

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7962 Sun, 13 Jul 2014 17:17:16 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7962 Many thanks for the link. I do wonder how many children with unrecognised APD present as Hannah does – My daughter always acted the clown and made people laugh to cover up that she had no idea what was being said in a group situation. As she reached Secondary School she started to be more self conscious and she now sticks to a close group of friends who understand her difficulties and compensate. My eldest daughter had the “needs to speak more” comment throughout school with me repeatedly saying “That’s just how she is” but went on to be Head Girl this year at her school, and did so very successfully! I will certainly pass this on to offer a positive angle on “quiet” children! Many thanks – again!
Fiona

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7961 Sun, 13 Jul 2014 17:10:44 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7961 I’ll send you what I’ve got. I have some paper copies of information which I’ll try to find the time to scan over the summer and forward any that seem helpful.

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7960 Sun, 13 Jul 2014 11:12:53 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7960 Hi again Fiona
Here is the link to the article about a young woman looking back on her childhood and teen years as a very quiet person, and how she blossomed at university. Part of the issue was not feeling comfortable with engaging with ‘chat’ or ‘small talk’, essentially which is what being a teen in a group is all about. However at University, Hannah was surrounded by people who shared her passion and knowledge for music, and therefore had a shared reason for intense discussions.
Many parents of very quiet teens have been heartened by reading about Hannah’s experience. it helps them be positive and counter the classic comments from school, which are ‘She needs to contribute more in groups and speak out more in lessons.’
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Best wishes
Michael

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7959 Sun, 13 Jul 2014 10:35:12 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7959 Can you email me some info on APD please?

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7958 Sun, 13 Jul 2014 10:26:25 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7958 Many thanks. I’m still battling on trying to get Auditory Processing Disorder recognised as well. I’ve had some success where my daughter is concerned. Now to generalise it a bit! Best wishes, Fiona

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7957 Sun, 13 Jul 2014 09:17:21 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7957 Hello again Fiona!
Schools are by their nature very noisy and lively places, and are designed for extroverts.this is fine for most children,but some children who are introverts and highly sensitive can find school very problematic .
There is an article on my website about this subject, and I will post it here shortly.
Very best wishes
Michael

]]> /2014/07/being-a-quiet-and-sensitive-child-with-help-from-black-sabbath-the-who-the-beatles-elton-john-and-lesley-duncan/#comment-7956 Sat, 12 Jul 2014 22:31:55 +0000 /?p=1111#comment-7956 Hi Carolyn!!
Thank you for taking the time to reply to the post. I think that Boyhood could be a great film.
The issue of quietness is a complex one, but Susan Cain’s book, Quiet, certainly helped put it into perspective for me.
Great to hear from you
Michael

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