Challenging Inhibited Behavior in Children

But with the right balance, parents can modify even the most difficult side of their children's temperaments. As an example, consider those 15 percent or so of toddlers who are very inhibited—kids like Andrew, whose right frontal lobe explodes with anxiety whenever he's confronted by new people or a new environment. While many of these children don't change, about 40 percent do lose their extreme timidity by kindergarten. Researchers have observed that these are the youngsters whose parents, though sensitive, manage to gently challenge them, encouraging them to face their fears and learn how to cope with minor stresses, thereby coaxing along those connections on the left side of the brain.

Patricia is one parent who's decided to try challenging her child more. She's enrolled Andrew in nursery school, now encourages him to be more adventuresome on the playground, and has begun traveling with him, so he can spend his first nights away from home. So far he's not too happy about it, but he is showing signs of gradually adapting, rising to the challenge his parents are laying out for him. Before long he'll probably actually enjoy school and will undoubtedly even make a few friends. Though it's likely that he will always be a pretty cautious kid, he'll surely have a happier youth than it his parents hadn't stepped in and deliberately helped rewire his limbic system.

It is important to encourage inhibited children to challenge their fears and adventure into the world.