The Importance of Social Skill Development in Children

Your children’s social skills development is crucial for him and for his general well-being. Without their proper development during childhood, he could very well end up with problems affecting his mental health. If that’s the case, he’ll most likely begin showing signs of it, once he enters his teenage years. These conditions start young and won’t go away, until they’ve been properly diagnosed and then professionally treated.

Causes

It ends up there are a number of different factors that can put your child at an increased risk for developing some kind of a mental disorder, like anxiety or depression. One of these is pursuing solitary interests at a young age. Your child might have his own unique interests that he enjoys on his own. With no one else to share them with, he’s likely found that he doesn’t have much in common with his peers. Because of this, he’s not quite sure how to really communicate with them. Consequently, he thinks it’s easier, safer, and better to just spend the majority of his time alone.

Another common cause for these disorders is an anxious temperament. This is due to the fact that an anxious temperament typically results in feelings and thoughts of extreme paranoia that make your child much more sensitive to others and to their surroundings. If your child experiences these, he’s sure to be feeling incredibly confused, frustrated, and disturbed on the inside. He may be embarrassed, however, and that could make it hard for him to discuss his symptoms with someone.

Whether it’s of physical or emotional nature, abuse in any shape or form can cause the appropriate development of your child’s skills to suffer dramatically. Your child likely finds it very difficult to learn anything new if he often feels stress or fear in his own household. If abuse is involved in his upbringing, he’ll shut down completely. The only thing that he’ll be able to think of is how he can escape the impending danger.

A sheltered childhood can negatively impact your teen in this regard, as well. If you’re an anxious parent, you may subconsciously be trying to protect your child from the outside world. When this happens, though, your child’s social development will inevitably suffer. The best way for your child to learn and improve on his own social skills is by gifting him with the golden opportunity to practice them with others.

Symptoms

Poor development of childhood and adolescent social skills is linked to some of the most common disorders, like depression and anxiety. Symptoms of depression would include:

• difficulty focusing
• fatigue
• irritability
• restlessness
• loss of interest in previous hobbies
• overeating
• persistent headaches
• feelings of emptiness
• suicidal thoughts

There are certain symptoms of anxiety that you’ll want to keep an eye out for in your child too. Since you might not be able to recognize some of these on your own, you’ll want to ask your teen if he experiences any one of these. Also, it’s important to pay close attention to their frequency. The symptoms of anxiety could include:

Treatment

• blushing
• difficulty breathing
• a pressure in the chest
• a pounding of the heart
• digestion problems
• muscle tension
• dizziness
• nausea
• sweating
• shaking

If you’ve been trying to come to terms with the fact that your child is, indeed, suffering from a mental health condition, the last thing you’ll want to do is give up and throw in the towel. You don’t have to feel like it’s the end because it isn’t. Many forms of treatment are available, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has proven to be one of the best options out there when taking the therapeutic approach to recovery.

Your teen might be presently struggling with problems relating to his own sense of worth and feeling grave discomfort around his peers. With the right form of treatment, you’ll see a profound difference in him sooner rather than later. At Hillcrest Adolescent Treatment Center, he’ll receive the proper care and treatment he needs for getting back on his own two feet again.