SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN CHILDHOOD
SOCIALRELATIONSHIPS IN CHILDHOOD
Whatfactors in Alanaâ`s life are affecting her social relationships?
Thesocial relationships in children are affected by many factors. Thesefactors influence the rate at which children obtain their socialskills and how they express them together with their emotionalcompetencies. Environmental risk factors are some of the factors thatinfluence the social relationships of a young child. They mainlyinclude the community one lives in, which might be unsafe or does notprovide a good quality child care setting where the kids can receivecare (Rubin, et al. 2013). The lack of adequate resources in thecommunity as well as policies that support the family structures inproper upbringing are some of the other environmental risk factorsthat influence social relationships in childhood. It is evident thatAlanaa’s social relationships were greatly affected by the familyand the community setting she was being raised in. The parents weredivorced, a reason that seems to have a negative effect on her socialskills and interrupting her school attendance, where her attendancehas not been consistent as compared to other children. The mother isfound to be not concerned about her child as this is evident from theunanswered calls from school as well as not answering the door whenan aide goes to look for her mother. The kids found at the doorstepof Alanaa’s home confirm that the community is not very suitable tobring up children owing the things they are exposed and lack guidancefrom the adult members of the community with boys found at Alanaa’sdoorstep claiming not to go to school as there is no one to tell todo so. The visit by the aide, therefore, confirms that the mainfactors affecting her social relationships are the family and thesocial setting.
Thechild is also experiencing serious health issues another factor thataffects her social relationships. Developmental delays is anotherfactor that can greatly contribute to poor social skills in a childas they grow (Rubin, et al. 2013). It is clear that Alanaa hasserious health problems, having been found to suffer fetal alcoholsyndrome as well as petit mal seizures which occur occasionally.Suffering from such conditions and being on medication at such atender age definitely, has a very great impact on her emotionalcompetencies and social skills. She also suffers from developmentaldelays which are evident from her having a low vocabulary for asecond grader, smaller for her grade and minimal math skills. Thesedevelopmental delays can be attributed to factors indicated in herfile like being born prematurely with very low birth weight (Rubin,et al. 2013). It is, therefore, clear that Alanaa’s social skillshave been affected negatively by her environment mainly the familyand community she lives in as well as her health issues anddevelopmental delays which greatly affects how she expresses herselfand relates with others.
Whatstrategies could be implemented within her family, teachers, andcommunity that would better promote Alanaâ’s social interactionwith her peers?
Thesocial interaction experts who have studied children socialrelationships advocate for the use of approaches that addressesparticular social behaviors directly while at the same timestructuring the community, family as well as school setting toutilize the spontaneous teaching opportunities that occur during thechild’s daily activities (Barnes, 2013). The teachers should takethe opportunity they spend with the children to directly teachparticular social skills while at the same time ensuring the schoolsetting promotes social growth and effectively utilizes any arisingteachable moments. They should also promote peer learning as this canbe an effective way of promoting Alanaa’s social interaction withher peers.
Inher family, the parent should build on moments where they can teachthe child a social skill and how to apply it in real life. Parentscan also through direct instruction teach their children particularsocial behaviors like asking for toys rather than just taking them,taking turns when doing an activity with another person as well assharing. It is a particularly effective approach when a child has aproblem a specific social skill and therefore can be a very helpfulstrategy that Alanaa’s family can implement to promote her socialinteractions especially with her social problems like isolation andaggression.
Atthe community level, the environment should be arranged in a way thatit promotes social interactions. The community social amenities, aswell as educational community centers where Alanaa and other childrengo to play and have fun, should be structured to promote socialcommunication, interactions and enable learn individually as well asin groups. The children in the community should be enabled to enhancesocial functioning by playing as this makes it easier for them tolearn a vast array of social relationship skills (Barnes, 2013). ForAlanaa who is a child who isolates herself socially, playing withchildren in her community offers her an opportunity interact with herpeers while developing her social skills. If such a strategy isimplemented at the community level, Alanaa will have a chance topromote her social relationships with her peers in school and athome. There should also be an initiative to always preventinappropriate behavior in social settings as well as when with thefamily. It will make sure Alanaa is able to avoid these behaviors andhence avoid their effects which are generally negative and attractattention from both peers, teachers, family and members of thecommunity.
Howwill Alanaâs current socialization influence her perception ofadult roles in the school and community?
Alanaa’scurrent socialization will greatly influence how she perceives therole of adults both in her school and the community back at home. Atschool, she finds the adults more concerned about her and are alwayswilling to take care of her something she is not used to at home. Theaide found out during the visit to Alanaa’s home that the youngboys were her cousins and rarely went to school. They were also usedto taking care of her at night when her mother went out. This,therefore, makes her have a very contrasting perception of the adultsat school and those at home. The one’s at school seem moreconcerned about her welfare and hence she perceives them asresponsible and primarily her main caregivers, by ensuring she enjoysher time in schools, her health is constantly monitored and she isgiven extra help to make sure she is able to socially relate with herpeers and match their academic capabilities. The adults in thecommunity who include her mother are less concerned about herwellbeing and she definitely does not perceive them as hercaregivers.
References
Barnes,S. (2013). Peer Relationships, Protective Factors, and SocialSkill Development in Low-Income Children – Applied Psychology OPUS -NYU Steinhardt. Steinhardt.nyu.edu. Retrieved 4 April 2017, fromhttp://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2013/fall/barnes
Rubin,K., Coplan, R., & Bowker, J. (2013). Social Withdrawal inChildhood. Annual Review Of Psychology, 60(1), 141-171.http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163642
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