It happens unconsciously for Carmen Rivera. Next thing she knows, her thumb's in her mouth. From middle school to college, in Connecticut and beyond, adolescent thumb suckers are speaking up and coming out.
Experts say the habit has a lot to do with issues of adolescent transition and societal pressures.
It comforts them. Parents, desperate to get their kids to stop, try everything from shame to threats. You often have to finish reading the entire sentence, or even the whole paragraph, before the answers become clear. As you work, use a separate piece of paper to record your answers. Or, if you are working at a computer, create an answer file on your screen.