SOCIAL COMPETENCE AMONG CHILDREN WITH CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM-RELATED CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS - A REVIEW

Reviewed empirical studies of social competence among children with ce ntral nervous system (CNS)-related chronic health conditions published since 1975. The overwhelming majority of studies evaluated social com petence at the level of social adjustment; the domains of children's s ocial performance and social skills were relatively neglected (Cavell, 1990). Findings are critiqued with respect to conceptualization of so cial competence among children with CNS conditions and methodological considerations. Directions for future research include expanding the c onceptualization of social competence in this population to include so cial demands and competencies specific to children with CNS conditions and utilizing explicit theoretical frameworks that allow for competin g hypotheses to be tested.