This chapter introduces readers to the history and concept of social and emotional intelligences. Readers explore the spectrum of social and emotional intelligences that are associated with holistic processes within the organism to understand emotional states, develop social awareness, regulate emotional states, develop empathy, make growth-promoting decisions, and form diverse relationships. The author situates this discussion within a multicultural framework by expanding definitions to be inclusive of diverse cultural perspectives.

Child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) is a complex and challenging subspecialty in psychiatry that developed immensely in the last century. In this chapter, we present a brief overview of development and specific aspects of the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of children and adolescents.

This chapter focuses on a diverse group of vulnerable learners–children with special educational needs (SEN). These children are at high risk of developing social and emotional problems because their presenting conditions negatively influence growth in two critical areas of functioning: attention, planning and problem-solving; and language and communication (Stormont, 2007). It follows that delays in these areas routinely create the conditions for reduced opportunities to engage, interact and learn with others, and also the increased likelihood of developing challenging, unsafe and socially inappropriate behaviours.In this chapter, the Pyramid Model (Hemmeter et al., 2016) is recommended as an evidence-based, multi-level framework for promoting children’s social–emotional development in the early years while preventing problem behaviours. Next, we discuss aspects related to decision-making about (1) what to teach and (2) how to teach. We then highlight the critical importance of resilience and the need to develop a sense of connectedness and social understanding in children with SEN. Finally, we argue the case for partnering with families in order to strengthen SEL outcomes of these children across school, home and community environments.

Language difficulties are common and appear to occur at higher rates in children with neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions. This chapter focuses on understanding the overlap between language difficulties and (1) autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (2) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and (3) internalising and externalising and externalising difficulties. We use data from cross-sectional and longitudinal designs to examine the associations between these conditions in both clinical and population-based research. Language difficulties were more common than expected across all contexts, suggesting these are important in the assessment and treatment of these disorders. However, there is variation in how much language difficulties are considered in clinical practice across these conditions. In the area of ASD, language difficulties are often a key consideration, whereas for ADHD and internalising and externalising difficulties, language difficulties tend not to be routinely considered. Here we point to the need for language-based services to consider other developmental and mental health conditions, and the need for mental health services to consider the potential presence of language difficulties. We recommend that research examines how to better support children with language difficulties to prevent the development of future internalising and externalising difficulties.

This chapter examines military attitudes toward “emotional injuries” resulting from the end of romantic relationships. Evaluations of why some men “cracked” evolved substantially from World War I to the present. Often, however, psychiatrists attributed servicemen’s maladies to deficient female love: whether that of mothers or romantic partners. In Vietnam, psychiatrists construed romantic rejection as a “narcissistic injury”: a blow to the ego that led men to decompensate in various ways. Alcoholism, going AWOL, self-harm, and violence directed toward others were all associated with Dear John letters. The chapter considers how the military medical and legal establishments adjudicated unlawful acts perpetrated by servicemen whose intimate relationships had recently been severed by letter. It focuses on two court-martial cases: a Korean War POW who briefly rejected repatriation to the United States in 1953, citing a Dear John as his motive for defection, and a Marine Corps private court-martialled in 1969 for killing four Vietnamese peasants. In the latter case, military lawyers deemed the defendant to have been temporarily insane after his fiancée sent him a Dear John.

In the chapter, five questions guide discussion and reflection on teaching for social and emotional learning (SEL) in the early years classroom. First, social and emotional competencies are described in teacher-friendly language. Second, a rationale is given for prioritising these competencies in early years classrooms. Third, the nature, types, and uses of frameworks with particular connections to SEL in Australia are introduced. Fourth, an overview of the four major approaches and related practices that contribute to successful teaching for SEL comprises the largest section of this chapter. Fifth, the chapter concludes with an examination of the essential role that professional learning and development plays in improving wellbeing in a school community, student learning outcomes, and professional sense of efficacy.

Research within Australia and around the world underscores the short– and long–term negative effects of bullying on children’s socio-emotional health and wellbeing. While there has been a significant increase in the number of studies conducted with upper primary and secondary students, comparatively fewer studies have focused on the prior-to-school and early school contexts. The few studies that have examined the impact of bullying in the early years underscore its negative effects, with victims and bullies exhibiting psycho-social maladjustment and psychosomatic problems similar to outcomes reported with older samples (see Neilsen-Hewett, Bussey & Fitzpatrick, 2017). Bullying poses a significant risk to children’s socio-emotional wellbeing and mental health. A growing awareness of how bullying manifests itself in early peer contexts is therefore critical in the development of effective preventative anti-bullying initiatives. The goal of this chapter is to provide a synthesis of this research including an overview of the causes and correlates of bullying and its effects on children’s socio-emotional wellbeing.

Research undertaken over the last 20 years provides compelling evidence that early and ongoing development of socio-emotional skills contributes to an individual’s overall health, wellbeing and competence throughout life. Moreover, competence in this domain is now recognised as fundamental to school readiness, school adjustment and academic achievement. Consequently, social and emotional learning (SEL) is an important theme in current educational policy, curriculum frameworks and classroom practice, particularly in the early years of schooling. This chapter focuses on a particular group of vulnerable learners – young children with special needs. We introduce the Teaching Pyramid (Fox et al., 2003), a validated, multi-level model for promoting young children’s social-emotional development while preventing problem behaviour. Next, we discuss aspects related to making decisions about 1. what to teach and 2. how to teach. We then highplight the critical importance of social understanding for children with special needs and provide key evidence-informed strategies for teachers to use in their everyday classroom practices to strengthen SEL in the early years. Finally, we argue the case for partnering with families in order to strengthen SEL outcomes for these children across school, home, and community environments.