Think of your child’s development as an iceberg. We often focus on the surface, such as speech and motor skills, while overlooking the hidden depths of social emotional skills. Understanding social emotional development milestones in children is vital to the well-being and growth of your little neurodivergent genius. In this post, we’ll guide you through identifying and supporting these milestones, and share how apps can help with emotional development in children.
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A Guided Tour of Social Emotional Development Milestones
Embarking on your child’s developmental journey can be daunting. To help break it down, we’ve organized the key social emotional development milestones by age group. Keep in mind, every neurodivergent child reaches these milestones at their own pace, so customization and flexibility are essential when observing their progress.
Toddlers (1-2 years)
In the toddler stage, kids are laying the foundation for future social emotional development. They begin to express their emotions through various means and start showing empathy for others.
- Developing self-awareness and autonomy
- Expressing feelings through facial expressions, sounds, and gestures
- Beginning to display empathy
- Engaging in parallel play (playing alongside other kids without interaction)
Preschoolers (3-5 years)
As your child enters their preschool years, their social emotional development becomes more complex. They will learn how to interact with their peers while striving to achieve a sense of responsibility.
- Recognizing and naming emotions
- Developing a sense of responsibility and self-regulation
- Building friendships and cooperative play
- Understanding expectations and social norms
School-Age Children (6-12 years)
During the school-age years, kids are refining their social emotional skills as they develop deeper relationships and adapt to various social situations.
Read more: Child Development Stages
- Learning to cope with emotions and stress
- Collaborating and sharing with peers
- Understanding the impact of their behavior on others
- Promoting empathy, respect, and acceptance of diversity
Strategies for Encouraging Emotional Development in Children
Now that you have a roadmap of social emotional development milestones, it’s time to take action. As your child’s trusted guide, providing support and encouragement during their journey is crucial. Here are some strategies to help foster their emotional growth:
1. Establish a Safe and Trusting Environment
To help children thrive, they need a nurturing and supportive environment. Be a consistent, empathetic listener and ask open-ended questions about their feelings. Validate their emotions while guiding them to express and manage those feelings using healthy methods.
2. Model Positive Behaviors
Children learn by observing us, so it’s important to exemplify kindness, patience, and emotional regulation. Demonstrating effective communication and problem-solving strategies during conflicts will also teach them valuable life skills.
Read more: Does My Child Need Speech Therapy?
3. Encourage Social Interaction
Provide your neurodivergent kids with opportunities for socializing. Exposure to diverse experiences, such as playdates and extracurricular activities, is essential for developing friendships, teamwork, and empathy. Encourage communication and asking for help when needed.
4. Stay Informed and Engaged
Having a thorough understanding of your child’s unique needs will help you tailor your support more effectively. Collaborating with teachers, therapists, and other caregivers will ensure consistent interventions for your child’s benefit.
Technology: A Helpful Ally in Emotional Development
With advances in technology, a variety of tools have emerged to support social emotional development milestones. Goally offers a suite of apps specially designed for the diverse skill sets of neurodivergent children. These apps provide interactive and engaging experiences while targeting emotional regulation, communication, and social skills.
Whether it’s animated stories that foster empathy or virtual assistants that help with organizational skills and routines, Goally’s apps are valuable resources to support your child as they reach their social emotional milestones.
Goally | For Kids Who Hate Bedtime 😴😡
Fostering Your Child’s Social Emotional Growth: A Journey to Success
Building strong, lifelong connections doesn’t happen by accident; it’s the result of consistent nurturing and support. By focusing on social emotional development milestones, you empower your child to forge meaningful relationships and strengthen your bond with them. By providing a safe space, modeling positive behaviors, embracing technology that encourages emotional development, and staying informed, you’re equipping your neurodivergent child with the tools they need to navigate life with empathy, resilience, and lasting connections. In essence, you’re paving the way for their success and happiness, both now and in the future.
This post was originally published on 05/28/2023. It was updated on 08/11/2023.
Goally
We help parents teach their kids life skills, like doing bedtime and morning independently. Backed by science, we incorporate evidence-based practices and expert-informed designs in all of our apps and content.
