The increasingly prolonged transition to adulthood has raised concerns about the nature and timing of growth in the attainment of important psychosocial competencies in young people. Changes over time in self-reported competencies (work orientation, identity, intimacy) were examined in 198 Canadians, who were followed for the first 4 years of…

Social and play skills are important developmental tasks for young children. Typically developing children learn appropriate social skills quite naturally and without specific intervention while interacting with other children in playful environments. Young children with disabilities, however, usually need social skills interventions, and these…

Discusses various aspects of adolescents' needs and feelings in relation to their efforts to become competent human beings. (SS)

In this paper, development during the adolescent period is considered from a counseling perspective. Although many of the issues of young adults continue to confront older adults, this paper discusses the issues that are special to this age group. It suggests that the emotional and social domain is best represented by the theory of Erikson, which…

Key developmental tasks of adolescence and the unique problems that face the learning-disabled adolescent are outlined, focusing on the role of social competency and communication effectiveness. Components of a comprehensive social competency training program include the nature of the learning disability, the affective-defensive pattern, adaptive…

Three case studies are used to illustrate how adolescent male-female relationships in a psychiatric hospital setting can effect growth in the developmental tasks of separation-individuation, identity formation, and preparation for successful adult relationships. (Author/JW)