Do We Need Socio Emotional Skills

Do We Need Socio-Emotional Skills?

The Case of Social Emotional Learning: Evidence-Based Practices

At the end of the last century, social emotional learning (SEL) emerged as a relevant theme in education all over the world. What is SEL? SEL may be defined as a multidimensional construct orchestrating individuals’ ability to identify and manage emotions, feelings, and concern for others, as well as to organize and manage behaviors toward goals, solve problems and develop positive relationships. SEL has been gaining growing popularity among researchers and practitioners. Still, there is a reasonable degree of ambiguity regarding the concept. In fact, the term is often used as an umbrella for many types of programs and interventions from distinct areas such as school, public health, mental health or character education, addressing the vulnerability of children and youth to various social and psychological problems. What is more, topics covered under the SEL umbrella are diverse as follows: emotions, cognition (including multiple intelligences), motivation, socialization in schools and families, and self-regulation and its effects.

Emotional Development in Atypical Children

Early emotional development, emotional regulation, and the links between emotion and social or cognitive functioning in atypically developing children have not received much attention. This lack is due in part to the priorities given to the educational and therapeutic needs of these children. Yet an understanding of the basic emotional processes in children with atypical development can only serve to promote more effective strategies for teaching and intervening in the lives of these children and their families and may contribute to our understanding of basic emotional processes as well. When referring to "emotions," the editors mean some complex set of processes or abilities, whether or not the topic is normal or atypical development. Specifically, they use the term "emotion" to refer to at least three things -- emotional expressions, emotional states, and emotional experiences. The focus of this volume, these three aspects of emotional life are affected by socialization practices, maturational change, and individual biological differences including, in this case, differences in children as a function of disability. Contributors examine the development of emotions in children with organic or psychological disorders as well as those in compromised social contexts making this volume of prime importance to developmental, clinical, and social psychologists, educators, and child mental health experts.