Early emotional development, emotional regulation, and the links between emotion
and social or cognitive functioning in atypically developing children have not
received much attention. This lack is due in part to the priorities given to the
educational and therapeutic needs of these children. Yet an understanding of the
basic emotional processes in children with atypical development can only serve
to promote more effective strategies for teaching and intervening in the lives
of these children and their families and may contribute to our understanding of
basic emotional processes as well.
When referring to "emotions," the editors mean some complex set of processes or
abilities, whether or not the