Encourage him to talk. The silent child needs to be encouraged to talk. His difficulty in expressing himself may be very frustrating to the parents. It can be helpful to include other members of the family, neighbors and their children in a talk about reactions to the disaster. Through the sharing of common experiences, fears are further reduced.
Adults are often reluctant to encourage the child to talk about fears and anxieties.
They believe that this will only increase the fears and anxieties. Also, parents may feel helpless in reassuring the child, and may be afraid of actually harming the child by continued discussions. Being told it is normal and natural to be afraid is also reassuring. A child's fears do not need to completely disrupt his and the family's activities. A child can and should be included in these activities.