Children's problems with friends

Children who are seen in clinical settings frequently experience interpersonal difficulties with peers. Because of this, efforts to help children improve their friendships should be an essential aspect of the child treatment process. Accordingly, this article first reviews developmental findings on children's peer acceptance and friendships to provide a framework for understanding children's social functioning. Next, the article describes current approaches to assessing and intervening with children's peer relationship problems. Specific interventions include social skills training, strategies for enhancing peer friendships, and ways to reduce competing behavior problems. Finally, two case examples are provided that illustrate several of the main intervention themes. In general, the purpose of the article is to assist practicing therapists in integrating information on children's social functioning into their everyday clinical practice. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.