CYP Now - Resources: Review - Practical advice on peer relationships

Many government initiatives to increase social inclusion appear to stumble when some youngsters continue to find themselves at the margins of society. Bierman makes a very positive and timely contribution to developmental literature on peer rejection, which will be of interest to researchers and practitioners alike. The author argues that peer interactions across the school years can have a profound influence upon emotional and behavioural functioning.

This is good news for practitioners who might assume that the family exerts greater sway.

This very readable book may help professionals to develop a greater understanding of problematic peer relationships. Cited research suggests that these can cause major problems not only for the individual child but also for wider society where resultant difficulties, for example, aggression, disruption and oppositional behaviours, further alienate the youngster from both peers and community.

The author argues that the interactionist nature of social intercourse cannot be merely reduced to a subset of skills that can be taught in isolation.

Intervention must be preceded by careful assessment of the child's social interactions with peers, relationships, social skills that the child possesses and the child's self-perceptions and emotions. Clear guidance is offered for undertaking such assessments.

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