Clinical pointers from developing self-awareness

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Clinical child psychology
• Neurodevelopmental disorders

Background:

• Early self-awareness develops through distinct stages.
• Understanding these stages is crucial for identifying developmental delays.
• Self-awareness underpins social cognition and ethical development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate seven cardinal developmental steps of self and social awareness.
• To provide clinical pointers for assessing these developmental milestones.
• To focus on the assessment of self-awareness in children with developmental disorders.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing typical developmental trajectories.
• Identification of key developmental markers for self-awareness.
• Outline of clinical assessment strategies for each developmental step.

Main Results:

• Seven distinct developmental steps identified, from embodied self-awareness to ethical stances.
• Clinical pointers provided for each of the seven developmental stages.
• Specific considerations for assessing self-awareness in autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability.

Conclusions:

• The seven-step model serves as a valuable benchmark for clinicians.
• Assessment of self-awareness is critical for early intervention in developmental disorders.
• This framework aids in understanding and addressing social-emotional development.