As educational psychologist Ruth Coppard suggests, "Some so-called child prodigies are little more than the product of highly ambitious parents. If you've had as much tutoring and practice in a subject at the age of seven as most 19-year-olds have, then there's at least a chance that you'll function in that subject area similarly to a 19-year-old."
Jo Counsell, an educational consultant for NAGC (the National Association of Gifted Children), concedes that such parents exist. "But because we are a support organisation, they don't tend to approach us. Most of our parents are quite the opposite - embarrassed to be calling us at all." In fact, she says, there may be many "undiscovered" gifted children in the UK because of such embarrassment - or simply a lack of recognition. "Teachers may fail to pick up on gifted children, perhaps because they feel their duty lies with the least able youngsters in the class," she adds.
I got a little confused. The writer says "they don't tend to approach us" and the opposite is "they feel embarrassed to be calling us at all". It seems to me they don't conflict with each other. They are just the same!
Why use the progressive to "call"?
Besides, what is the usage and meaning of "at all" here? It's not used in a negative sentence or a licensed negative sentence as usual.