ECSE 602 Instructional Programming for Infants and Young Children with Disabilities Social/Motor Development 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 1

Social/Emotional Development Erik Erikson Trust vs. mistrust Autonomy vs. shame and doubt Initiative vs. guilt 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 2

Social/Emotional Development Milestones of emotional development during the first few years Birth: show signs of almost all the basic emotions (e.g., happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, interest, surprise) 2-3 months: engage in social smiling 3-4 months: begin to laugh at very active stimuli 6-8 months: emotional expressions are well organized and clearly related to social events; attachment to the familiar caregiver is clearly evident 8-12 months: perceive facial expressions as organized patterns, and meaningful understanding of them improves months: self-conscious emotions of shame, embarrassment, and pride appear. A vocabulary for talking about feelings develops rapidly. Preschool: Understanding intentions; emergence of self-esteem 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 3

Social/Emotional Development Temperament: stable individual differences in quality and intensity of emotional reaction, activity level, attention, and emotional self-regulation The easy child: quickly establishes regular routines in infancy, is generally cheerful, and adapts easily to new experiences The difficult child: is irregular in daily routines, is slow to accept new experiences, and tends to react negatively and intensely The slow-to-warm-up child: inactive, shows mild, low-key reactions to environmental stimuli, is negative in mood, and adjusts slowly to new experiences (Thomas, Chess, & Birth, 1970) 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 4

Social/Emotional Development Temperament and child rearing: The goodness-of- fit model Thomas and Chess’s model, stating that an effective match, or “good fit,” between child-rearing practices and a child’s temperament leads to favorable development and psychological adjustment. A “poor fit” leads to adjustment problems. 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 5

Social/Emotional Development Development of aggression Instrumental aggression: children push, shout at, or otherwise attack a person who is in the way Hostile aggression: hurt another person Overt aggression: harms others through physical injury or the threat of such injury Relational aggression: damages another’s peer relationships 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 6

Social and Emotional Competencies Self-awareness Identifying one’s thoughts, feelings, and strengths Recognizing how they influence one’s choices and actions 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 7

Social and Emotional Competencies  Social awareness  Identifying and understanding the thoughts and feelings of others  Respecting their rights  Appreciating diversity 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 8

Social and Emotional Competencies Self-management Establishing and working toward short-and long-term goals Handling emotions so that they facilitate rather than interfere with the task at hand 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 9

Social and Emotional Competencies  Responsible decision making  Generating, implementing, and evaluating positive and informed solutions to problems  Assuming responsibility for personal decisions and behaviors 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 10

Social and Emotional Competencies  Relationship skills  Communication, listening, and negotiation skills to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding connections with individuals and groups 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 11

Social and Emotional Competencies Preschool children with deficits in these critical social skills and those who exhibit challenging behavior are more likely to have language deficits than do their typically developing peers (Kaiser et al., 2000; Qi & Kaiser, 2003) 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 12

Social and Emotional Competencies and Challenging Behaviors Prevalence 10 to 15% of young children have mild to moderate behavior problems (Campbell, 1995) 21% of preschool children met the criteria for a diagnosable disorder, in a pediatric population, with 9% classified as severe (Lavigne et al., 1996) 10% of kindergarteners arrive at school with problematic behavior (West et al., 2000) Children living in poverty appear to be especially vulnerable, exhibiting rates that are higher than that of the general population (Qi & Kaiser, 2003). 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 13

Social and Emotional Competencies and Challenging Behaviors Some sobering facts Preschool children are three times more likely to be “expelled” than children in grades k-12 (Gilliam, 2005) 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 14

Social and Emotional Competencies and Challenging Behaviors Who gets expelled? 4-year-olds are 50% more likely to be expelled than 3- year olds Boys are 3 ½ times more likely than girls to be expelled African Americans are expelled at 2 times the rate of European Americans; 5 times the rate of Asian Americans (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning) 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 15

Social and Emotional Competencies and Challenging Behaviors What predicts expulsion? Longer class days Higher job stress Higher child teacher ratio Group size Lack of access to behavioral or mental health consultation (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning) 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 16

Social and Emotional Competencies and Challenging Behaviors Teachers report that challenging behavior is their number 1 training need. Teacher report that challenging behavior affects their overall job satisfaction. (Hemmeter, Corso, & Cheatham, 2006) 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 17

Social and Emotional Competencies and Challenging Behaviors What to teach? Friendship skills Emotional literacy (the ability to identify, understand, and express emotions in a healthy way) Anger management Problem solving 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 18

Prevention and Intervention A model for promoting children’s social competence (Adapted from Powell, Dunlap, & Fax, 2006)

Prevention and Intervention Level 1 and Level 2 Fundamental base Supports needed by all young children to promote social and emotional competence Available universally for all young children 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 20

Prevention and Intervention Level 3 Broader and more specialized services Strategies for working with young children who are at risk for challenging behavior 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 21

Prevention and Intervention Level 4 Intensive services and supports For young children with persistent and severe behavior challenges 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 22

Prevention and Intervention Strategies for parents and teachers Focus on strengths Follow up with consequences for misbehavior Ask children how they feel Find ways to stay calm when angry Avoid humiliating or mocking the child Be willing to apologize Give children choices and respect their wishes Ask questions that help children solve problems on their own Encourage sharing and helping 10/2/2014Dr. Y. Xu 23