Social-Emotional Needs and Support

CASEL: 5 Core Competencies

Just like all students, 2e learners need universal instruction in the 5 core social emotional competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

This includes: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. The ability to communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate with others, resist inappropriate social pressure, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed.

Communication

Social engagement

Relationship building

Teamwork (Credit: CASEL)

The 5 Competencies Explained

1) SELF-AWARENESS is the the ability to accurately recognize one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior. The ability to accurately assess one’s strengths and limitations, with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a “growth mindset.” Support for self-awareness is helping students

Identify emotions
Have an accurate self-perception
Recognize strengths
Build self-confidence
Build self-efficacy

2) SOCIAL AWARENESS is the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The ability to understand social and ethical norms for behavior and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports. It includes:

Perspective-taking
Empathy
Appreciating diversity
Respect for others

3) Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes:

Impulse control
Stress management
Self-discipline
Self-motivation
Goal setting
Organizational skills

One glance at the list of behavioral traits that are developed in this competency will help you see how a gifted student with ADHD will need more than universal support to develop self-management skills!

Self-motivation can also be diminished when a student blames herself for failure because a learning disability has not been identified.

Stress is an increasing problem for all children. Research shows it is a common problem for gifted students and can be an even greater problem for a gifted student who is also struggling with a disability.

4) Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.

Equally as problematic is finding teachers, coaches, and other adults who understand the unique combination of extreme strengths and limitations typical of gifted and 2e students.

These are learners who need your understanding and skillful support!

5) Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others. This includes:

Identifying problems
Analyzing situations
Solving problems
Evaluating
Reflecting
Ethical responsibility

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) graphic of 5 core competencies

Credit for all information below: CASEL

2e Students

Gifted children, often feel they don't fit in. Finding true peers who share their curiosity, their deep interests, their breadth of knowledge, and their quirky sense of humor can be a challenge. Twice exceptional students have an even greater challenge; they occupy a unique and little-understood niche. They are not fully part of the gifted world nor of the special education world nor the world of neurotypical students. Belonging to no group can produce in these children an enormous emotional distress which prevents them from performing at their expected levels.