Social Emotional Milestones

Social emotional skills allow us to interact with other people: family, friends, teachers and peers. It requires the awareness of our own emotions as well as that of others, and the ability to adapt our behavior in order to get along with others. 

Children with autism spectrum disorder are often affected in their development in this area. This may create difficulties for the children in interacting with others in school, at home, and in other places they go in the community. 

Please see below for social emotional developmental milestones. Remember that everyone goes through roughly the same steps, but at their own rate! We'll meet the child wherever they are right now to help them get to the next level: we use a play-based, intrinsically motivated approach at the just-right challenge. 

Age	Social Emotional Self-Regulation: Typical Developmental Milestones Resource: Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC)
6-9 months	Extends arms to familiar persons​ Plays simple games (e.g. Peek-a-boo)
9-12 months	Imitates facial expressions, actions, and sounds​
12-18 months	Separates from caregiver in familiar setting without crying Enjoys simple make-believe
18-24 months	Asks for assistance when having difficulty
24-30 months	Looks at people when speaking with them Recognizes when another person is happy or sad Avoids common dangers ​Claims certain articles as being his or her own
30-36 months	Changes activities when requested Repeats rhymes, songs or dances for others
36-42 months	Shares toys Participates in circle games
42-48 months	Returns objects to their appropriate place Can explain rules of a game to others
48-54 months	Asks before using another's belongings Talks about own feelings
54-60 months	Offers assistance to others Likes competitive games
60-72 months	Apologizes if hurts someone's feelings Remains calm when small requests are denied Answers the phone, remembers a simple message, and delivers it to the correct person Works alone on chores for 20 minutes

Learn More: 
​Motor and Self-Help Milestones
Speech Milestones