As a parent of a child who had significant social skill issues, it never occurred to me that it might not be a social issue at all. I had resigned myself to the fact that once we finished vision therapy and occupational therapy, the next step would have to be the development of social skills, but one thing at a time. Thankfully during his assessment, Mr. John observed how quiet he tended to be and asked a few questions about his interactions with others. He quickly identified it as a hearing issue!
He sent us home with some CD's for Listening Therapy, and we dutifully listened to them as directed despite some resistance from my son. Pretty rapidly, it made a noticeable difference. Once he could process sounds better, he could speak at an appropriate volume, for instance loudly enough for his friends to hear him on the playground. They liked him well enough, they just rarely heard him when he was talking. Consequently, he thought they didn’t like him because he was consistently ignored. As soon as his hearing was improved, he started getting on with his friends so much better and his self confidence grew.
Thank you, Mr. John!
Cindy