Latino Children Make Up For Academic Shortcomings With Strong Social Skills

This NPR article on Mexican-American preschoolers who start school way behind their white counterparts, with poor language and pre-literacy skills, is a perfect example of the importance of language, emotional, social and sensory development in 0-36 month old children. Despite lacking skills in the language domain, these children demonstrate social skills that are indistinguishable from their white peers, which ends up helping them succeed in school to a greater extent than if they had poor language as well as poor social skills.  

The following quotes, taken from the transcript of the NPR interview, sum up how emotional and social skills are two important roots of school success:  

“We found that Latino kids bring to school strong emotional skills and strong social skills, which means they know how to share with their peers. They know how to follow instructions. They know how to listen. And one other thing that we found is that these kids are being raised in very supportive and warm family environments.” (Claudia Galindo, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County).

“…these kids’ remarkable emotional maturity and social agility have been the missing link when devising strategies to help Latino children catch up academically, because when teachers take into account these kids’ eagerness to learn and get along, it’s much easier for them to adapt to the classroom quickly and learn English quickly.” (NPR’s Claudio Sanchez comments on Claudia Galindo’s research)

Language, emotional, social and sensory development is key for children 0-36 months.  Let’s work to spread the word in parenting communities everywhere!