The Importance Of Social Skills Development In Early Child Development

Social interaction from a young age can shape a young child’s development and increase their quality of life throughout their education. A child’s sense of belonging and being included during this time creates expectations about relationships when they’re young as well as into their future. Children with ADHD experience a tremendous amount of obstacles when interacting with their peers in mainstream settings. According to Herbert-Meyers, et al. (2006), children that do not acquire the necessary skills to work in groups or play rule-based games with their peers are risk to develop behavior problems. Early childhood social skills programs can implement behavior strategies that help with these social issues. This paper will examine how social

Appropriate social skills are defined by the rules and expectations of specific groups and how a person is expected to behave in particular situations. Most children learn to adapt to various social situations however some have issues with perception in different settings. According to Allen and Cowdery (2015), the following social skills should be learned during early childhood: interacting with children and adults, in and out of the home, initiating play with children, participating in group activities, listening, taking turns, working and playing independently as well as cooperatively, and using language as a social tool. Learning social skills should be natural and not forced. Children’s social skills is influenced by many factors, such as home, school, playground, culture and the community. The appropriate development of social skills is dependent on what is readily available to the child in their community. Children should be exposed to a variety of social situations to build up resilience towards other people so that when they are in school, they are able to navigate their way through different circumstances. Children should also be aware of social reinforcement. Social reinforcement is the positive or negative feedback from adults and peers that leads to further learning that is either appropriate or inappropriate (Allen and Cowdery