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Socio-emotional Problems
The establishment of relationship is a vital social skill in both a child's and adult's life. A child's ability to develop and maintain appropriate peer relationships is important influence for future appropriate adult behavior.
There are eight stage of social emotional development. Each stage can be regarded as a "psychosocial crisis" that arises and demands resolution before the next stage develops. Satisfactory learning and resolution of each crisis is necessary if the child is to manage the next and subsequent ones satisfactorily.
LACK OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE IN CHILDREN
The child does not possess a suitable repertoire of appropriate behavioral responses.
The child possesses a repertoire of behavior, but has not had sufficient opportunity to practice and develop competence.
The child has emotional problems which interference with effective problem solving and social interaction.
SOCIAL DEFICITS
CAUSES:
Inherent neurological impairment e.g. in the limbic system.
Lack of opportunity to acquire social skills due to social withdrawal / deprivation.
Emotional / psychological causes.
MANIFESTATIONS:
Typical social skills deficits include difficulties with:
Reciprocity
Initiating interactions
Maintaining eye contact
Sharing enjoyment
Empathy
Inferring the interests of others
Lack of "know-how" to interact with can give rise to anxiety in some children especially when exposed to social situations.
EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOR DISORDERS (EBD)
Many children in the middle childhood (7-11 years old) experience EBDs.
THESE DISORDERS INCLUDE:
1-Externalized behaviors: Aggressiveness, Disruptiveness, bullying.
2-Internalized Behaviors: Timidity, inhibition, withdrawal.
SUGGESTED LINES OF THERAPY:
1-Incluison of troubled children 2-Role playing 3-Behvior modification & reinforcement 4-Scheduling & organization
RELATION BETWEEN COMMUNICATIVE DISORDERS AND SOCIO-EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS
Recent research has demonstrated a high prevalence of speech, language, and communication disorders in children referred to psychiatric and mental health settings for emotional and behavioral problems. Conversely, children referred to speech and language clinics for communication disorders have been found to have a high rate of diagnosable psychiatric disorders.
Communication problems have repeatedly been found to be a risk factor for later academic and/or behavior/ emotional difficulties.
Children with emotional and behavioral difficulties have a greater difficulty in developing appropriate social interaction skills and generalizing those skills to other situations.
A reason for this is the behavioral symptoms that EBD child displays to other children and peer groups. These symptoms manifest in several different ways:
Physically (such as hyperactivity, violent out-bursts).
Verbally (such as shouting or swearing).
Emotionally (such as crying continuously or being withdrawn).
All these behaviors might make the child vulnerable to rejection. If this occurs at an early age, the child will not be able to develop appropriate social skills.
MANAGEMENT OF SOCIO-EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS INCLUDE:
THOROUGH EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL'S CURRENTLY LEVEL OF SOCIAL FUNCTIONING- TO IDENTIFY SOCIAL SKILLS NEEDS.
CHOOSING THE MOST APPRORPIATE INTERVENTION STRATEGY:
Accommodation: the act of modifying the physical or social environment of the child to promote positive social interactions.
Assimilation: the instructions that facilitate skill development; thereby allowing the child to be more successful in social interactions.
MODIFYING THE ENVIRONMENT:
The key is to teach the skills and modify the environment. This ensures that the new skill is received by peers with both understanding and comprehension.
IMPLEMENTING SOME THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES SUCH AS:
Peer mentors: peer mediated interventions.
Thoughts and feelings activities: Our behavior is based on the non-verbal feedback we receive from other people and how we perceive and understand them. (picture cards demonstrating others' feelings)
Facilitating reciprocal interactions.
Social stories.
Videotaped self-modeling.
Role playing / behavioral rehearsal
Social Skills Training (SST) is a form of behavior therapy used by teachers, therapists, and trainers to help persons who have difficulties relating to other people. Its major goal of SST is to teach persons who may or may not have emotional problems about the verbal and non-verbal behaviors involved in social interactions.
Breaking down complex social behaviors and introduce them to the parents as small portions.
Treatment of associated conditions as ADHD, PDD, social phobia, etc….
Strategies for communication skills: how to perceive and act on social cues.
Generalization and transfer of skills to daily life activities
RELATED LINES OF THERAPY
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Cognitive behavioral therapy usually does not exist as a distinct therapeutic Technique. It is based on the ides that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external events or things.
DRAMA THERAPY
Drama therapy has as its main focus the intentional use of healing aspects of drama and theatre as the therapeutic process. It is a method of working and playing that uses action methods to facilitate creativity, imagination, learning, insight, and growth. Drama therapy can be practiced in a variety of forms including feeling awareness, creative expression, and learning to deal with social situations.
FOLLOW UP:
Follow up is necessary in order to assess and modify intervention as necessary. Regular follow up is also important as it can help detect efficacy of a program and modifying future programs whenever needed.