**2. Importance of social competence in early childhood**

In early childhood, play very often represents the context for the learning and expression of social behavior. A preschool-aged child's social competence among same-aged peers can be conceptualized according to what takes place as children interact—in other words, how children initiate, sustain, and maintain a level of positive interaction or cooperation—as well as how they resolve interpersonal conflicts. While such a conceptualization focuses on an important sequence of typical events in the preschool classroom, it is also an oversimplification of this complex construct. Each of these components might involve many discrete social skills as well as underlying reading of social cues and situations. *Social skills* include the discrete behaviors that make up or contribute to one's social competence, such as entering play, taking turns, making requests, etc.; many such skills are appropriate across a wide range of settings but must be understood and applied in contextspecific ways. A given play context could also require a child to use social language, read of social cues, and demonstrate positive initiations and responses, as well as share, negotiate play roles, respond to aggression, and exchange ideas. In classroom contexts, social competence also includes behaving in accordance with classroom rules, displaying helping behaviors, and cooperating with adults during structured and semi-structured learning activities [3].

As a result, many early childhood programs consider social-emotional development and its associated skills as critical components of the preschool curriculum. Whether or not extensive planned opportunities to learn social skills are planned, in a high-quality preschool classroom, adults engage in play-based learning activities alongside preschoolers, so the social problem-solving which occurs during play is critical for children to reap the developmental benefits that early education provides. Developing social competence and demonstrating positive relationships before children reach kindergarten not only enable children to approach a healthy trajectory of social–emotional development (by providing children with friends *and* friendships as an additional learning context) but also enhance early adjustment and achievement in kindergarten and beyond [4].

What are these critical skills, and how do they operate and interact to produce social competence? First, it is critical to consider social competence within

**271**

for all children.

*Promoting the Social Competence of Each and Every Child in Inclusive Early Childhood…*

the context of each child's broader ecological system. As illustrated in **Figure 1**, observed social competence (inevitably appraised by others) is the result of interaction between intra-child factors (such as brain development, temperament, self-regulation, and current developmental skills—including the impact of disability) and extra-child factors (caregiving, quality of learning environment and instruction, cultural and linguistic considerations). The interaction of these factors, as well as *how they are perceived by others*, is what determines longer-term outcomes in early childhood and beyond through the consequences of friendship vs. isolation, cooperative vs. independent play, rewards and acknowledgement from others vs. the use of punitive disciplinary practices, and access to vs. separation from the

*Model of internal and external influences on social competence in early childhood [1, 2].*

The importance of others' perceptions must not be underestimated, as these can create an environment of advantage or risk for children. For example, if a teacher is unfamiliar with the cultures of her students' families, she may at best fail to address a critical realm of assets and needs and at worst categorize behaviors or preferences that are normal for children as somehow "problematic." Likewise, if teachers are inexperienced in working with children with exceptionalities, they may be more likely to stereotype children or lower developmental expectations based upon their biases. The importance of perception can also be illustrated through social skills assessment (whether through systematic observation or norm- or curriculumreferenced checklists, all of which are frequently used in preschool). Teachers and caregivers may judge a child's social-emotional development or competence quite differently simply because of typical differences between the school and home environments. These differences can be more effectively explored and understood when teachers form positive, collaborative relationships with caregivers. In this case, the educator is more likely to better understand how a child's system of intra- and

extra-child factors interact and make better instructional decisions.

**2.1 Children with disabilities and unique learning needs**

Within this system, many specific social skills are learned and employed by the child. Examples of skills associated with later success in school include initiation/sustaining social interaction, in addition to getting along with others, following directions, emotional self-regulation, solving typical social problems in ways deemed appropriate by others, and persisting through social challenges [5]. Focusing on these areas as a teacher not only helps individual children improve and develop them but may also improve the social environment of the classroom as a whole, providing a more developmentally appropriate learning environment

Helping young children to develop positive social skills and relationships is a critical responsibility for early childhood educators. This is particularly important

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80858*

general education curriculum.

**Figure 1.**

*Promoting the Social Competence of Each and Every Child in Inclusive Early Childhood… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80858*

**Figure 1.**

*Early Childhood Education*

with social competence deficits.

emphasizes strongly the role of the educator.

and semi-structured learning activities [3].

and achievement in kindergarten and beyond [4].

**2. Importance of social competence in early childhood**

a variety of positive outcomes, such as success in school, has been well-documented. Social competence enables children to interact with peers in a variety of ways and contexts and to maintain positive relationships with peers and adults, both of which are critical for success in school and beyond. A significant amount of research into social competence in young children has identified negative consequences associated

In this chapter, the role of the early childhood educator in positively influencing the social competence of preschool children is explored. Specifically, the considerations, practices, and evidence bases for social competence teaching strategies and interventions in inclusive environments are emphasized. First, social competence is defined, and its importance to early childhood development is explored. Then, the impact of disabilities on social skills is touched upon. Universal considerations for preschool educators are presented, highlighting parallels between best early childhood education practices and those which form a foundation for proactively addressing social competence. Next, specific strategies and interventions to address social skills are shared. The chapter concludes with a model integrating these practices into a framework for addressing social competence in preschool that

In early childhood, play very often represents the context for the learning and expression of social behavior. A preschool-aged child's social competence among same-aged peers can be conceptualized according to what takes place as children interact—in other words, how children initiate, sustain, and maintain a level of positive interaction or cooperation—as well as how they resolve interpersonal conflicts. While such a conceptualization focuses on an important sequence of typical events in the preschool classroom, it is also an oversimplification of this complex construct. Each of these components might involve many discrete social skills as well as underlying reading of social cues and situations. *Social skills* include the discrete behaviors that make up or contribute to one's social competence, such as entering play, taking turns, making requests, etc.; many such skills are appropriate across a wide range of settings but must be understood and applied in contextspecific ways. A given play context could also require a child to use social language, read of social cues, and demonstrate positive initiations and responses, as well as share, negotiate play roles, respond to aggression, and exchange ideas. In classroom contexts, social competence also includes behaving in accordance with classroom rules, displaying helping behaviors, and cooperating with adults during structured

As a result, many early childhood programs consider social-emotional development and its associated skills as critical components of the preschool curriculum. Whether or not extensive planned opportunities to learn social skills are planned, in a high-quality preschool classroom, adults engage in play-based learning activities alongside preschoolers, so the social problem-solving which occurs during play is critical for children to reap the developmental benefits that early education provides. Developing social competence and demonstrating positive relationships before children reach kindergarten not only enable children to approach a healthy trajectory of social–emotional development (by providing children with friends *and* friendships as an additional learning context) but also enhance early adjustment

What are these critical skills, and how do they operate and interact to produce

social competence? First, it is critical to consider social competence within

**270**

*Model of internal and external influences on social competence in early childhood [1, 2].*

the context of each child's broader ecological system. As illustrated in **Figure 1**, observed social competence (inevitably appraised by others) is the result of interaction between intra-child factors (such as brain development, temperament, self-regulation, and current developmental skills—including the impact of disability) and extra-child factors (caregiving, quality of learning environment and instruction, cultural and linguistic considerations). The interaction of these factors, as well as *how they are perceived by others*, is what determines longer-term outcomes in early childhood and beyond through the consequences of friendship vs. isolation, cooperative vs. independent play, rewards and acknowledgement from others vs. the use of punitive disciplinary practices, and access to vs. separation from the general education curriculum.

The importance of others' perceptions must not be underestimated, as these can create an environment of advantage or risk for children. For example, if a teacher is unfamiliar with the cultures of her students' families, she may at best fail to address a critical realm of assets and needs and at worst categorize behaviors or preferences that are normal for children as somehow "problematic." Likewise, if teachers are inexperienced in working with children with exceptionalities, they may be more likely to stereotype children or lower developmental expectations based upon their biases. The importance of perception can also be illustrated through social skills assessment (whether through systematic observation or norm- or curriculumreferenced checklists, all of which are frequently used in preschool). Teachers and caregivers may judge a child's social-emotional development or competence quite differently simply because of typical differences between the school and home environments. These differences can be more effectively explored and understood when teachers form positive, collaborative relationships with caregivers. In this case, the educator is more likely to better understand how a child's system of intra- and extra-child factors interact and make better instructional decisions.

Within this system, many specific social skills are learned and employed by the child. Examples of skills associated with later success in school include initiation/sustaining social interaction, in addition to getting along with others, following directions, emotional self-regulation, solving typical social problems in ways deemed appropriate by others, and persisting through social challenges [5]. Focusing on these areas as a teacher not only helps individual children improve and develop them but may also improve the social environment of the classroom as a whole, providing a more developmentally appropriate learning environment for all children.

#### **2.1 Children with disabilities and unique learning needs**

Helping young children to develop positive social skills and relationships is a critical responsibility for early childhood educators. This is particularly important for children with disabilities. At this point in time, however, the state of preschool in the United States paints a grim picture of the quality, appropriateness, and inclusiveness of classrooms in relation to children's social and behavioral challenges. With thousands of preschool children suspended or expelled each year (on average, 250 per day), preschool programs wield punitive disciplinary actions at a rate higher than at any other level of education—up to three times the rate of K-12 in pre-K and as high as 13 times the K-12 rate in child care for 3- to 4-yearolds [6]. A portion of the explanation for such disturbing statistics lies in a failure of the system of early childhood education (including preparation programs, administrators/policy makers) to fulfill its obligation to support teachers in playing an active role in understanding and influencing the complex system illustrated in **Figure 1**. A lack of cultural responsiveness or awareness of bias, insufficient focus on developing relationships with families and children, a lack of supportive services or interventions, and a low investment in professional development and increasing the status, licensure, and compensation of early childhood educators are all relevant issues.

In the end, the greatest influence on the success of young children in early childhood education is the educator himself/herself. The misinterpretation, rejection, and punishment of children with disabilities or developmental differences in the absence of inclusivity, supports, and developmentally appropriate interventions represent one of the key social justice issues of the field of early childhood education, particularly at a time when the majority of children under five do not have access to early childhood education programs to begin with. While these are clearly systemic issues affecting educators and not originally created by them, in many ways the teacher still holds the key to healthy, developmentally supportive, and inclusive classrooms.

For a variety of reasons, many children fail to adequately develop key social skills, thus lowering their overall competence and placing them at risk for punitive discipline and failure in school. In particular, children with disabilities experience peer rejection at a higher rate and are much more likely to miss out on highly impactful social experiences with peers. This may be a result of differences between their social and play skills and those of typical same-aged peers and will worsen with time in the absence of high-quality instruction and/or support. Examples of such differences that are observable from a very young age (some behaviors present by infancy) include lower rates of social initiation, positive social behavior, appropriate responses, a higher rate of more disruptive entry to play activities and problematic behavior, and poorer turn-taking skills [7]. As a result, young children with special needs experience a high rate of social rejection, i.e., social isolation and rejection of play initiations [8].

Differences and deficits in social competence in preschool-aged children are evident in children with many different types of needs (including autism, speech/language disorders, cognitive disabilities, and emotional and behavior issues, and developmental delay), as well as in children who placed at risk as a result of poverty, abuse, or engagement with child welfare agencies. Young children with disabilities tend to play with others less frequently and have fewer conversations than their typical peers; they may also lose social skills more quickly if teachers do not acknowledge these and encourage their consistent use [9]. As a result, such children are presented with fewer natural opportunities to develop and test out their social skills. For example, if it takes a particular child twice the number of peer interactions to learn an important skill (such as imitating and expanding on a peer's play), but she has only half the opportunities due to isolation from or rejection by peers or adults, serious consequences for her social development may result.

**273**

**the LRE**

preschool. They include [13]:

*Promoting the Social Competence of Each and Every Child in Inclusive Early Childhood…*

Ensuring that the preschool classroom provides effective, systematic, and developmentally appropriate instruction to support children's social competence requires collaborative planning, instruction that is informed by assessment, and targeted strategies that are implemented throughout the year. All of these dimensions of instruction must be provided in a high-quality learning environment that is inclusive of all children and supported by teaming and professional

A first step in effectively addressing social competence involves reaffirming one's commitment to the inherent inclusiveness of the field of early childhood education. Developmentally appropriate practices, or DAP, as defined by the NAEYC place a high value on the developmental knowledge of teachers and their understanding of the milestones and key goals of the preschool years [10]. But instructional decision-making involves two other components which are intended to hold equal weight in determining the extent to which one's teaching practices are developmentally appropriate. First, educators must consider a child's individual interests, abilities, and developmental progress. Subsequent planning must take into account the inside out factors included in **Figure 1** at an individual level—in other words, planning for the interests of young children is not sufficient and is not considered developmentally appropriate practice unless the interests and needs of each and every child are considered and integrated. NAEYC's guidelines also stress that educators must consider what is culturally important to children and families, thus supporting their belief systems and practices. This does not mean that the classroom must mirror the home but rather that teachers (particularly when their backgrounds differ from those of the children they teach) examine the ways in which their backgrounds and biases influence their teaching aim to develop more empathetic, trusting relationships with children and families [11]. It is from these relationships that more meaningful antibias materials, activities, and teaching practices must be embedded, rather than through simply acknowledging diversity. This way preschool educators are more likely to begin the work of sustaining children's and families' culture rather than simply acknowledging it [12]. Culturally sustaining practices reject the notion that family culture can be subsumed or subordinated within a classroom or school culture and are actually reflected in NAEYC's DAPs which state the families should partner in curriculum planning and child assessment (see [10]). These guidelines are much more inclusive of diverse children and

**3.2 Acknowledging the effectiveness of inclusive models and commitment to** 

In one sense, the majority of programs serving preschool-aged children already have an inclusive structure. Head Start programs are required to serve a proportion of children with disabilities, just as they are children from households considered low income, and preschool programs funded by states must serve children aged 3–5 with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Diversity is the everyday reality of the preschool classroom, and many of the practices that support successful inclusion also support not only children with disabilities but also those who require support to develop social competence in

**3. Foundational responsibilities of preschool educators**

**3.1 Sustaining culture vs. acknowledging diversity**

families than many educators may realize.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80858*

development.

*Promoting the Social Competence of Each and Every Child in Inclusive Early Childhood… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80858*
