Laura N. Sarchet

Social and emotional development, essential to everyone’ s well-being, describes the skills children and adults need to self-regulate and participate in social relationships. When children develop social and emotional skills, they experience positive effects in later life, including a general sense of wellness, increased quality of life, and self-empowerment. While all children need support in their social and emotional development, explicitly teaching these and related skills, such as self-advocacy, may especially benefit children with disabilities.

According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning( CASEL), social and emotional development has five broad components:

› Self-awareness › Self-management

52 Educating Young Children

Summer 2026