Bavita
School of Home Science
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (Central University)
VidyaVihar, Raebareli Road
Lucknow-226025, Uttar Pradesh, India
Shalini Agarwal
School of Home Science
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (Central University)
VidyaVihar, Raebareli Road
Lucknow-226025, Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract
The first 6–8 years of a child’s life, known as the early childhood stage. Early childhood stage is important as a foundation for the inculcation of social and personal habits and values. “Social Development is equality of social opportunities.” The focus of this paper is on early development of social skill in children with autism. Social reciprocity deficits are a core feature of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD).Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impairments in social and communication development, accompanied by stereotyped patterns of behavior and interest.Children with autism display significant social deficits that negativelyimpact daily functioning and may lead to serious mental health problems. By elementary school, they have significant social relational problems; the majority experience great difficulty initiating and maintaining friendships with same-aged peers. Social skills are important for preparing young people to mature and succeed in their adult roles within the family, workplace, and community. Social skills allow people to succeed not only in their social lives, but also in their academic, personal, and future professional activities.Young children acquire social knowledgeand skills in play. It is within play that they learn to coordinate interpersonal skills such as turn-taking and reciprocity and learn the strategies necessary for collaborative and symbolic pretend play. Through social play, children learn and practice social skills such as asking to enter into peer or play groups and inviting others to play.
Keywords: Early childhood, Autism, Social skill, Workplace.
