Social Cognition: How to Develop and Improve our Children’s Social Skills

Parenting has been constantly evolving. When we were young, most of us grew with authoritarian parents. Their rules are the law. The thrust at that time has been on encouraging the development of intelligence or IQ. However, studies nowadays have shown that it is also important to develop and nourish a child’s social cognition or emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence or social cognition is the way in which we process, remember and use information to explain and predict their own behavior and that of others[1]. Children who have better EQ are seen to be better communicators, have better relationships with peers as they could better read and empathize with their peers and could also be more academically advanced.

How to develop the social aspect?

Social cognition is influenced by neurological, biological, and environmental factors[2]. Parents, peers, caregivers and culture all play a role in shaping a child’s development of social understanding and behavior. In studies, maternal care acts as a protective factor in the first year of life compared to non-maternal care. There are lower reported physical aggression and emotional problems at 4 years of age in children from low risk families who had been in maternal care [3]. Social cognition is also positively correlated with parental education level. Social cognition evolves depending on the exposure to experiences a child experiences which later allow them to form more complex relationships and enable them to navigate the world more effectively.

Core Components of Social Cognition:

1. Theory of Mind

Theory of mind is the ability to understand that other people have beliefs, intentions and perspectives that may differ from one’s own. It typically develops around 4-5 years

2. Perspective Taking

Perspective taking is the ability to understand and consider another person’s viewpoint.

Children increasingly are able to take other people’s perspectives as they grow older

3. Empathy

Empathy is the understanding and sharing the feelings of others. An example of this is being able to comfort and approach a friend who is crying

What are the Milestones to Remember?

10 months

• Infant  can show personal preferences for certain people, food or toys

12 months

• Toddler shows curiosity by experimenting with different gestures, asserting more independence and control over surroundings

15 months

• Increasing imitation of others as a form of social learning. May replicate facial expressions, points to determine desires and requests, starts to shake head for “no”

18 months

• Better communication to tell desires, needs

24 months

• Able to utilize 2 word sentences
• Toddler tries to do things on their own like brushing teeth or putting on shoes,
• increased interest in playing alongside others

30 months

• Increasing concept of mine/ yours (sharing/ turn taking asking permission)

36 months

• Can engage in more complex pretend play (plays doctor, teacher), mimics adults and play with other children, able to notice and report peers behaviors and actions discerning between rules

42 months

• Begins to understands others feelings and show empathy, articulates experiences

48 months

• Begins to have favorite playmates and friends and preferences for activities, may begin to compare themselves to peers laying foundation for self esteem

60 months

• Cooperates with friends and often prefers to play in groups. May also start to understand the concept of friendship

How to Develop Children’s Skills and Ideas for Social Development

1. Parental Role
   1. Parents are very important are to model appropriate social behavior that a child can adopt to develop children’s skills

• Shouting when we get angry could normalize in a child that shouting is acceptable when they feel angry as well
• Being calm in the face of a tantrum and when being calm during a difficult situation could be also imbibed by your child with modelling

2. Promote social interaction
   1. Activities for Socialization:

• Social Activities for 3 years old: Engage in playdates, encourage independent play activities like sports or other cooperative games are good activities to give opportunities to children to practice their social skills

3. Encourage Perspective Taking
   1. Improve social skills through Social Stories: While going through different activities like reading books or during family movies, ask your children about how the characters feel or think or what might happen
4. Teach Emotional Regulation
   1. Activities for social development: Help your children to regulate and identify their emotions. It is okay to discuss feelings and emotions
   2. During bouts of anger, frustration, go to their eye level when calm and label how they are feeling .
   3. Use of boardgames could help teach taking turns, managing frustrations when losing
5. Positive Feedback to develop social aspect
   1. Praise your children when they get to practice these skills appropriately

Importance of Nutrition in Developing Social Cognition

Adequate Nutrition is important for optimal development. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, vitamins and minerals play an important role in neuronal growth, synapse formation and neurotransmitter functions critical in social cognition. Adequate nutrition has influenced social brain myelination. A study examined the interplay between childhood nutrient intake and social brain development across the first 5 years. Sixteen nutrients were significantly associated with myelin formation- polar lipids (gangliosides, phosphatidylinsotol, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine), minerals and vitamins (phosphorus, calcium, folate, vitamin B12), fatty acids (DHA, linoleic acid, ARA).[4]

Lactobacillus rhamnosus gg and Social Development

Studies directly linking this probiotic to social development has been limited but promising. One study has shown that supplementation of LGG in children during infancy may reduce risk of neuropsychiatric conditions later in childhood- e.g ASD, ADHD possibly through mechanisms other than gut microbiota composition.  [5] Another randomized trial with LGG showed improvements in the PedsQL Child Self Report total score of children on LGG diagnosed with ADHD though results of psychometric parameters assessed by parents and teachers were ambiguous. [6]

With all these tips, we are all hopeful to aide in the development of our children’s social skills. However, it is always important to consult our health care practitioners, our pediatricians for better understanding and guidance. Consult your pediatrician when you notice concerns on your child’s social skills.