ABSTRACT
Being heard, being respected, being loved, belonging to a group, a family – these all reect basic human needs which have devastating eects on a child’s development when absent. Fortunately, children are born with a large set of skills which enable them to initiate, follow, and maintain meaningful, respectful, and loving relationships with people around them; to develop what we will call an “empathic mind.” Skills to share interests with others, to recognize the emotions of others, to feel what the other person feels and to empathize with that person, to understand others’ thoughts and desires, are all necessities for this empathic mind.
