In the past 20 years, research has convincingly shown that, unless children learn some social skills by their sixth birthday, they have a high probability of being at risk throughout life. According to researchers Dianne McClellan and Lilian G. Katz, given these lifelong consequences, relationships should be counted as the first of the four Rs of education.
Social development begins in a child's early years.
All early childhood programs should, therefore, include regular and frequent formal and informal assessments of a child's social progress. The Social Attributes Checklist includes social behavior patterns and preschool experiences that teachers should examine every three or four months. When using the checklist, teachers should pay attention to whether the attributes are typical. Any child can have one or two bad days. If assessments are to be reasonably reliable, behavior patterns should be analyzed over a monthlong period.