Promoting Friendships for Preschool Children with Special Needs
(page 5) Friendships, the bonds that children develop with
important peers in their lives, bring pleasure, comfort,
sometimes distress, and almost always important opportunities to
learn and develop in a social world. In fact, establishing
relationships with other children is one of the major
developmental tasks of early childhood.1 Friends, even in the
toddler stage, can help children feel good about themselves,
adapt more easily to childcare settings and build self
confidence. But some children endure painful experiences of
being excluded, teased, or shamed. Such experiences can lead to
feelings that are damaging to a child's self esteem, create
anxiety, interfere with learning and contribute to loneliness.2
Some kids seem to be born with a distinct social talent that
allows for friendship formation; others have to be taught how to
relate, notes Dr. Mel Levine, a specialist in child development.
In between are large numbers of young children wh