Social-emotional Development

Another component of social skills is social-emotional development. This refers to one's ability to read emotional states in oneself and others. Children with ASD often have difficulty in both recognizing their own emotional states and in recognizing the emotional states of people around them. Furthermore, they may not have appropriate strategies to deal with ever changing emotional states. They may not know how to react to their feelings of anger or sadness, and often, their reaction does not match their emotional state.

Although social challenges are the hallmark area of deficit for children with autism, it does not mean that they do not form close relationships with family members and peers. Providing support for children with autism to form relationships with others should be a priority for intervention services.