Social and emotional development encompass both intrapersonal skills (i.e. understanding and managing one’s own emotions) and interpersonal skills (i.e. the ability to effectively verbally and non-verbally communicate with other people), as it looks at the child’s experience, demonstration, and control of emotions and the capacity to create meaningful and reciprocal relationships with others.

 

The main characteristics of social and emotional development in a child include:

• Recognizing and comprehending both his or her own feelings as well as others

• Coping with deep emotions and expressing them in a productive way

• Regulating their behaviour

• Developing and preserving connections with people

It is important to note that social and emotional development is a lengthy process and children continue with development in this domain well into the teenage years and at times into young adulthood

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 ... if a child is experiencing any of the following, consider this a red flag:

 

0-9 months

► Lack of response to sounds
► Lack of expression/smile in response to others/responds to others in an atypical way
► Avoids close contact
► Inability to self-soothe or calm themselves

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9-12 months

► Lack of interest in peer
► Great difficulty waiting for something
► Rigidity in regards to routine, clothing, toys, food, etc.
► Little to no eye contract
► Lack of imitation to simple actions
► Lack of response to his or her name
► Lack of shared attention between two people on an item
► Lack of ability for turn-taking in games

► Responds in the same way with familiar people and strangers

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1-2 years

► Moves from one activity to another and only stays at an activity for a brief time
► Requires support to stay on task
► Lack of ability to show/explain objects to others
► Frustration when changes occur
► Lack of interest in objects and/or activities in which peers are engaging
► Lack of initiation of self-play

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2-3 years

► Lack of interest in pretend play
► Difficulty with separation from caregiver
► Lack of initiation or response to interactions with peers
► Prefers to play in a different area than peers
► Lack of symbolical use of objects
► Lack of participation in group activities
► Unusual expression in intensity of aggression
► Displays severe fears that hinder daily living

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3-5 years

► Lack of initiation or joining in play with peers
► Lack of sharing with peers
► Lack of cooperative play skills e.g. group decisions, role duties, just play
► Inability to select own friends
► Demonstrates dependency on caregivers for majority of needs and wants
► Demonstrates passivity or fearfulness that limits engagement with activities in which

peers are participating