FINAL: SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN YOUNG CHILDREN

Question 1

What are challenging behaviors and behavior problems?

Answer 1

Repeated patterns of behavior that interfere w learning or w pro-social interactions. Not responsive to use of developmentally appropriate guidance procedures. Prolonged tantrums, physical / verbal aggression, disruptive vocal / motor behavior, property destruction, self-injury, noncompliance, withdrawal.

Question 2

6 key social emotional skills kids need as they enter school:

Answer 2

• Confidence
• Capacity to develop good relationships
• Concentration / persistence on challenging tasks
• Ability to effectively communicate emotions
• Ability to listen to instructions and be attentive
• Ability to solve social problems

Question 3

What do children do when they do not develop good social emotional skills? What should we do about it?

Answer 3

They exhibit challenging behaviors. We teach everything else - we should teach these skills too.

Question 4

Four things we can assume about challenging behavior:

Answer 4

1. It usually has a message: I am bored, sad, hurt.
2. Children use it when they lack skills for more appropriate interactions.
3. Behavior that persists over time is usually working for the child (performance deficit; #2 is skill deficit)
4. We should focus on teaching children what to do instead of the challenging behavior.

Question 5

Three strategies to promote children’s success:

Answer 5

Social: Create an environment where every child feels good.

Physical: Design an environment that promotes child engagement.

Interactional: Focus on teaching children what to DO: Teach expectations and routines; teach skills to be used in place of challenging behaviors.

Question 6

Intervention pyramid (bottom to top):

Answer 6

1. Building positive relationships
2. Designing supportive environments
3. Social emotional teaching strategies
4. Individualized intensive interventions

Question 7

Pyramid foundation: “building positive relationships,” beginning in infancy.

Answer 7

Infant mental health:

• regulation and expression of emotion
• forming close/secure interpersonal relationships
• exploring and mastering the environment
• touch and massage; reading cues; temperament

Question 8

Second level of pyramid: “designing supportive environments.”

Answer 8

Supportive environments consider:

• physical and sensory environment
• schedules and routines (visual schedules)
• transitions
• choice
• rules and expectations
• *activity analyses

Question 9

Six guidelines for giving directions in a supportive environment:

Answer 9

1. Make sure you have child’s attention
2. Give short, individualized directions.
3. Be clear and positive
4. Let children respond
5. Allow choices and options whenever possible
6. Positively acknowledge child’s behavior

Question 10

Positive feedback and encouragement should be:

Answer 10

• Contingent on appropriate behavior
• Descriptive
• Conveyed with enthusiasm
• Contingent on effort

Question 11

Third level of pyramid: social emotional teaching strategies (for children at risk).

Answer 11

• Social skill difficulty in younger children (verbal, nonverbal, play)
• Social skill difficulty in older children (awareness of self, interpersonal relationships, feelings about self)
• Emotional response (regulation) all ages

Special challenges:

• Asperger Syndrome (awareness of self and others, emotional response)
• PDD-NOS (play, verbal presentation)
• Autism and Aspergers (interpersonal relationships)
• Learning disabilities (interpersonal relationships)
• ADHD (less need than other diagnostic group, but struggle w/ verbal presentation, nonverbal presentation, and emotional response)

Social skills taxonomy use - Kauffman & Kinnealey, 2015

Question 12

Behavioral and learning strategies:

Answer 12

Always in effect - everyone has to get on board, teachers, parents, relatives, etc.

• Be clear about desirable / undesirable behaviors
• Reinforcement: positive (provide something pleasant), negative (remove something unpleasant)
• Punishment: positive (provide something unpleasant), negative (remove something pleasant)

Question 13

Top of the pyramid: individualized intensive interventions (for just a few children)

Answer 13

For kids with very persistent and severe challenging behavior who don’t respond to typical preventative practices.

Question 14

How can we use reframing?

Answer 14

We can reframe out interpretation of children’s behavior and encourage the adults in our child clients’ lives to do the same. Instead of “he’s always whiny after school,” we can think about what the child is trying to communicate.