DD (4.5) can sometimes act incredibly shy when people come to visit - even those she knows very well. I say 'act' because I suspect that this can sometimes be a misguided attention seeking act as she will occasionally tell me in advance that she is going to be shy today! She is also fine if we leave her with babysitters and school have commented how sociable and outgoing she is in class. Anyway, she will put on a baby voice, hang on to my leg and won't acknowledge anyone else talking directly to her. With a bit of encouragement this phase usually only lasts about ten minutes or so and then she is back to bring her normal talkative, confident and exuberant self. When we went through the assessment process this was not a problem as our original sw made the effort to talk and play with her on her first visit and so she relaxed in her company very quickly. We were approved to adopt at Christmas and unfortunately we now have a new sw who came to visit for the first time last month. DD didn't want to answer her initial question and sw then just ignored her for the rest of the 15min visit. Today I spoke to sw on the phone and she mentioned that she is very concerned that despite a strong assessment and profile, we will not get selected by a family finder because of DD's behaviour when meeting people. She is going to come again next week to see if there is any change. I am at a loss of what to do! I have tried talking to DD, preparing her and even offering a bribe if she cooperates but cannot guarantee anything. I can't exactly demand the sw plays with her and I doubt I could leave them alone for a bit (DD is rarely 'shy' for long if I'm not there). It would be a terrible shame for us to be ruled out by a family finder, when we know that this is not DD's usual self and that she would make an excellent big sister. Does anyone have any advice? Should I video her behaving 'normally'? Will shyness really count against us? Thanks.