How the quality of interactions between caregivers and children determine the social development skills
This review will examine how studies have been done in this field connects the contribution of caregivers to the ability of the child in developing social skills. The study of how early experiences in a child affects long-term development is of importance because it helps to device proper ways of enhancing a child’s quality of life. The study is, however, limited to factors that complicate the process of collecting information such as the multifaceted nature of early development, and the complexity of selecting a sample. Primary grade students are mainly in their formative years, and they require the right guidance and care to develop their personality holistically. Caregivers at this age are mostly parents, teachers, and adults who are responsible for helping the children to learn emotional and social skills (Academy 2018). The importance of shaping the children well at the primary grade level cannot be overemphasized because it is the stage where the children learn to form problem-solving skills, create group participations, and become independent from the parents. The caregivers should, therefore, help the children to develop a strong all-round character because to lay a strong foundation for future academic, social, and behavioural skills. The primary grade stage is also crucial because the caregiver can quickly identify the needs of a child and address them appropriately before they get rooted in the child (Academy 2018). Apart from the caregiver’s roles, other factors contribute to a child’s development, such as the general environment, and the economic status of the family. It is the responsibility of the caregivers to ensure that the child’s development is taking the normal course without being dependent on the external factors.
According to the Urban Institute (2013), children need stable and secure relationships with the caregiver at school, childcare, and home settings. Children also require basic needs such as medical care, safe housing, and nutritious food. Losing a job or having a decrease in the income is a common occurrence that affects two out of five adults in a year at some point, and they can compromise the caregivers’ position to take care of the children. Lack of sufficient supply of a child’s need can lead to deteriorating academic results, cognitive ability and social-emotional skills (The Urban Institute 2013). The negative impacts on a child’s cognitive development at the lower grade levels can be higher as compared to other stages in life. Parents who lose their jobs concentrate on their personal problems instead of considering the child’s feeling about the hardships that they were not experiencing before the income decreased. Research links children who experience a lack of basic needs to higher levels of psychological distress as compared to children who come from high-income families (The Urban Institute 2013). Although losing income is beyond the control of the parents, emotional support to the children is essential in preventing negative impacts on the child’s development. Children understand when their family is going through hardships, and the parents should talk with them and assure them that they are safe. Lack of income stability can lead to poor parental health which affects the relationships between the parent and the child. Such cases lead the child to take an emotional burden and end up developing inadequate social skills.
A study carried out in a substandard orphanage revealed that children show unusual behaviours due to lack of sufficient attention from the caregivers. A substandard orphanage is characterized by lack of medical care, equipment, nutrition, abuse and socio-emotional neglect of the children. Atypical behaviours observed in the orphanage children included difficulties in developing genuine attachments and relationships, stereotyped self-stimulation, and aggressive behaviours in later stages of life (Liben 2008). The outcome of studies carried out in orphanage is mostly limited to selective adoption. The studies in the substandard orphanage also revealed that the children experience developmental delays in behaviour and physical aspects. When compared orphanage children to receive sufficient care from their parents, there are profound differences in terms of social skills development. The orphanage children continue experiencing the development delays even after they are adopted by good families which links the behaviour to lack of enough care and attention in the formative years (Liben 2008). The studies further indicated that even children who were brought up in good orphanages but experienced emotional and social neglect still displayed extreme behaviours. The long-term effects of delayed development indicate the importance of caregiver’s attention in a child’s early years in developing social skills.
According to a study by WHO (2004), a child tends to reduce learning and exploration when they experience an inappropriate caregiver behaviour which limits their learning ability. The child self-regulates their bad emotions to adjust to the environment through psychological and neurophysiological adaptations. The effect of adverse interactions between the caregiver and children dominates interpersonal exchanges which negatively affects the interaction with the peers. The studies carried out by WHO on children who experienced negative interactions with their caregivers indicated the children experienced difficulties in making social relationships, adjusting to changes in their environment, and in intellectual functioning. A child’s ability to develop competent social character such as forming social relations, cognition and language development is also attached to the relations with the caregiver (WHO 2004). Children who had better relations with their parents easily formed social interaction and they also displayed confidence in learning. They were open to learning new things as compared to those who experienced negative responses and interactions from the parents. The openness to learning and free interaction is key to good grades in school and the development of better methods to deal with stressful environments.
The parent-child relationship worsens when a child is born with a disability. The relationship complications come from the specialized care the disabled child requires to grow and develop at the right pace. Parents to such children often experience distress, especially in the early years of the disabled child to the extent of falling into self-denial. The range of emotions experienced by such parents ends up effecting the child negatively before the members of the family can come to adjust to the situation (Bygrave-Sam 2014). Some of the challenges that are faced by parents whose children are born with special needs or those who develop the disability later in life are resources and knowledge on how they can support their children. On worst cases, disabled children are discriminated and removed from social circles because the caregivers see them as burdens in social setups. The children end up lacking essential social skills such as problem-solving skills, language and social skills. The poor treatment from the caregivers also complicate their future life further, and they end up living a dependent life even in their adulthood. After caregivers were en take through interactional programs to improve the relationship of the caregivers and the children, there was a positive result in the children with a disability because they reflected an increase in prosocial behaviours and a significant reduction in disruptive behaviour. Children who receive emotional and social support from parents portray fast developments as compared to those who experience emotional and social neglect from their caregivers.
The mind of a child develops at a higher rate during the formative years, and the caregivers are responsible for creating a warm environment that promotes healthy brain development. A healthy interaction between caregivers and children contribute to wiring the brain to form future relationships that are based on trust. All through the age of 5, a child’s brain develops by gaining information from the environment, and this affects the brain connections in the later years. When a child experiences a stressful environment without adequate support from the caregivers, the brain develops slowly, especially the part of the brain that controls impulse, reads social cues, and makes judgements. Children who are reared in a distressing environment understand 30 million fewer words as compared to their counterparts who are reared in healthy environments (VA 2020). In such stressful environments, children tend to concentrate on their survival at the expense of forming friendships and concentrating on academics. It is easy for children in the lower primary to experience self-imposed pressure that makes them feel inadequate in sports, school, and activities that involve socialization. Emotional and support helps the children in dealing with their internal pressure, and they are capable of handling other pressures such as bullying and peer-pressure without affecting their development (VA 2020). Unsupportive caregivers also tend to exert pressure on the children, which affects their confidence and self-esteem. The caregivers who have developed positive relationships with their children address issues such as stress and behaviours that indicate a distracted mental development before they impact the child’s wellbeing. Children who feel safe with their caregivers have the confidence express themselves and in return, the caregivers get the chance to help the children to solve the problems.
The relationship between caregivers and children determines the child’s sense of self-understanding and understanding of other people. Children can only form close relationships with people whom they feel safe being around with (California Department of Education 2020). It is, therefore, important for caregivers to offer social and emotional support for the child to understand and differentiate environments. Children who constantly experience distressing environment all they have a difficult time in identifying people who can help them. The understanding of self in children who receive warm support from caregivers helps them to stand up for themselves and get the courage to reject destructive relationships with their peers or adults around them. The caregiver should create a healthy interaction that allows the child to express negative or positive emotions without feeling uncomfortable because it is essential for developing social relationships (California Department of Education 2020). The use of emotional words by preschoolers helps in forming friendships, and their peers generally like such children. A healthy interaction between the children and caregivers build up positive emotions in children, and they are essential in developing psychological health and emotional wellbeing.
The home environment shapes a child’s interactions with their peers because they see their parents as role models. The early years of a child at primary grade can reflect a child’s way of perceiving things from the reactions to situations. The responses are basically tapped from how their parents behave at home because of the parent most influential caregiver to a child (VA 2020). When the teacher, who is the second closest caregiver, notices atypical behaviours on how the child interacts with the others early enough, the negative reactions can be corrected before they develop into habits. The child can be given the necessary support and care he or she needs to change the negative emotions and reactions. The caregiver should hold an open talk with the child and discuss on issues that can be observed from the child’s reaction to know the cause and offer the necessary advice on how to control emotions (VA 2020). Holding open talks with a child develops a positive interaction between the caregiver and the child by promoting a sense of love, respect, security and mutual understanding. The child is also likely to take lessons learnt in that manner because they feel valued and that minimizes the chances of internalizing behaviours that weaken a child’s ability to function well in the society, school, and at home (Bygrave-Sam 2014). The caregivers at school and home should give the necessary attention to the child to help them note behaviours that indicate a need for help.
Caregiver’s knowledge about a child’s development milestones is vital in offering the child the support needed at every development stage. Parents who have higher levels of education understand developmental milestones and the best parenting practices to support the child. On the other hand, parents with poor knowledge about a child’s development milestone exhibit poor parenting practices which adversely affect the child’s behaviour (Bygrave-Sam 2014). Children who receive proper support from their parents show better social relations with their peers and good grades at school. Studies on parent-child relationships have established a direct link between child outcomes such as cognitive and motor performance, and behavioural challenges to parental knowledge.
Home-based caregiver involvement in a child’s early learning is connected to greater academic achievements in school. The parental based interactions that influence the child’s performance include offering learning support, improved communication between the parent and the child and setting goals and expectations and motivate the child (Bygrave-Sam 2014). To prevent children for being affected by their immediate environment, it is necessary for the caregivers to be educated on the milestones in a child’s early development to help them respond to behavioural changes portrayed by children appropriately. The studies indicate how interactions between the caregivers have determined how a child develops and learns to respond to situations during their early years. Although the environment determines the child’s development, it is clear that the caregivers have control in shaping the child’s development because they are the role models. The caregiver’s level of knowledge determines the quality of the relationship with the child because he or she knows how to react to the different milestones of the child’s development. Parents with higher knowledge level achieve positive relationships even with children who are born have a disability.