DS (6) has social anxiety - books, recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the OP. Thanks for all the comments, esp the meditation one.

I am finding that most anxiety materials address general anxiety, fears and worries. My DS is not generally anxious, he likes going to new places, trying new things and sports. He doesn't have fear of monsters or anything like that.
The problem is really social, he is very very shy. He will NEVER raise his hand in a group, he suffers when he has to speak in front of a group (doesn't like being the center of attention, sweaty hands, etc.), and has a hard time saying hi and bye to neighbours etc, thank yous are difficult, etc. obviously one of the main issue is that, when he is teased, even in a joking way by peers, his reaction prompts more teasing, so he is susceptible to being bullied etc.
He does have friends and loves playing, running around etc and he is loud when he is comfortable.
But he is not assertive at all, he is always so worried about what others will think!
I obviously try to model, I praise him, I try to give him tips, etc.
Anyway, was wondering if there are any particular books we can look at together etc.
but not general anxiety stuff, it really does not apply.
Therapist is great and keeps me in the loop.

This thread is a little old. I'm wondering what the OP ended up doing.

This sounds exactly like my child, but add in separation anxiety. This has been going on for years. She saw a therapist who after a year of therapy recommended we put her on a low dose of some sort of medication. We stopped the therapy (it wasn't helping) but have not tried medication. It's been about 9 months since then and my husband and I are wrestling with the decision. Her anxiety is not paralyzing but it is definitely holding her back and it's heartbreaking to see her struggle with the simplest of things. It's also impossible for me to go out without a huge scene. My husband and I went out last night for the first time in months and she called and texted me (using her grandmother's phone) throughout the night. She was still up when we got home at midnight and was calling me at 11:45pm to see where we were.

My two big worries about the medication are what are the long-term affects and are we just trying to change our daughter's personality by giving her a pill?

The therapist said she was too young to understand the CBT and that when she is older and more mature we could take her off the meds and go back to CBT. Has anyone done this successfully?