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It's no secret that social rejection can be devastating to children and adolescents. Past research has shown that children who get picked on or just don't fit in are more likely to do poorly in school, experience depression and try drugs.
In order to prevent the harmful effects of social isolation on youngsters, researchers at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center have been studying children's social patterns to better identify and treat factors that lead to social rejection.
To do so, researchers observed two very different groups of children. The first was a random sample of 158 Chicago schoolchildren. The second was a random sample of children and teens who had been referred to the Rush Neurobehavioral Center for challenges with social-emotional learning.
Noting the differences between the two groups, the study found three major areas of social-emotional learning difficulties in children who had a hard time with social interactions:
- A lack of awareness of non-verbal or social cues. "They simply don’t notice the way someone’s shoulders slump with disappointment, or hear the change in someone’s voice when they are excited, or take in whether a person’s face shows anger or sadness," said Dr. Clark McKown, the study's lead researcher.
- Difficulties attaching meaning to social clues. Some children may notice these changes in body language or voice but have trouble recognizing what these changes mean about the other person.
- The ability to reason about social problems. Even for some children who can recognize and understand the meaning of social clues, figuring out how to solve social problems can be a challenge.
Having pinpointed these key areas in social learning, researchers now aim to better assess deficits and help children improve key social skills.
ABSTRACT: Social-Emotional Learning Skill, Self-Regulation, and Social Competence in Typically Developing and Clinic-Referred Children
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Posted In:
Child Adolescent Mental Health |
Behavior and Conduct Disorders |
Relationships |
Social Psychology |
Tags:
Children |
Friendships |
Social Skills |
Social Emotional Learning |
Posted by FindCounseling.com Staff on February 03, 2010 at 08:58 PM | Permalink
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