Social-Emotional Development

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Dyadic Neuroscience Social-Emotional Development Flourishing Disruption and Continuity in ERH and Flourishing ERH in Practice Longitudinal Study of ERH

From birth to three years, social-emotional development includes a child’s ability to form relationships, build emotional connection, understand and express emotions, and learn to interact with others. The relationships babies and toddlers have with their parents and caregivers are crucial for social development in the early years and for influencing a child’s ability to form and maintain healthy relationships through adolescence and beyond.

What Research Tells Us:

  1. Relationships between babies and toddlers and their parents and caregivers have a direct impact on their social development starting in infancy and extending through adolescence and beyond. 
  2. Positive relational experiences support emotional, cognitive, and social-emotional growth in babies and toddlers. 
  3. When a parent-child relationship is impacted by adversity, including a lack of sensitivity by the parent or parental mental health issues and maltreatment, it can negatively impact a child’s social trajectory.

What Does the Study of Social-Emotional Development Tell Us About Early Relational Health?

The influence is reciprocal:

Caregiving also impacts the parent’s mental health, stress resilience, and relational capacities.

Children develop social and emotional skills with their caregivers:

Positive, strong, and healthy relationships are fundamental for babies’ and toddlers’ emotional and social development. This is how young children practice and learn crucial skills like managing emotions and navigating social interactions.

Relationships teach us how to form relationships:

Emotional connection during early childhood is also the foundation for developing trust and security with others. This shapes a child’s understanding of what a healthy relationship is, setting them up to form healthy relationships throughout their life.

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