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Social Emotional

Facilitating child engagement

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As children grow they develop social and emotional regulation skills that are essential for engaging in meaningful and positive relationships, behaving ethically, and handling conflict appropriately. 

 

Learning to manage emotions and regulate behavior is a critical step in childhood development.   

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There are five Social Emotional Learning Competencies

  1. Self Awareness

  2. Self Management

  3. Social Awareness

  4. Relationship Skills

  5. Responsible Decision Making 

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When a child presents difficulty in these competencies, an occupational therapist can help mitigate inappropriate behaviors. An occupational therapist can help improve a child's participation in play activities, daily living skills and social relationships by addressing sensory processing skill deficits, fine and gross motor delays, modifying or adapting the environment, promoting positive interaction during play, and creating opportunities that show the child's strengths. 

My child struggles with their emotions 

Emotions play an integral part in a child's self judgment of their own personal experiences. This self-judgment impacts how your child will participate in their daily living tasks (dressing, grooming, eating, sleeping), education setting (writing, social interactions, classroom behaviors, learning) and social situations (self-esteem, anxiety, flexibility with play). When a child is having difficulty managing their emotions, an occupational therapist can help determine what factors are impacting their participation. These are some factors and signs of dysfunction that may impede your child from successfully participating in their roles, routines and daily activities:

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  • Difficulties with transitioning from one activity to another

  • Inflexible or rigid ideas/thoughts surrounding play

  • Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night)

  • Sensory Processing difficulties

  • Poor emotional control during games (outside, inside, board games, online games)

  • Difficulty managing stress and frustration during learning, chores or daily tasks 

  • Easily annoyed or nervous

  • Frequent tantrums or meltdowns 

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