Family Project Paper Assignment

very g.reat together and raised our child well.

Infancyff oddlerhood {Blrth-2 years)

*Piaaet's Theory J Throughout infancy and toddlerhood Skye will be in what Piaget calls the sensorimotor stage. ln

this stage Skye wiJI start to develop schemas such as the rooting reflex while breastfeeding off of

her mother. She will also develop other reflexes such as the grasping reflex so that when you put

your finger in the palm of her hand she will be able to put her fingers around it. When Skye is an

infant and you hide her rattle right in front of her eyes she might start to cry because she thinks

you made it disappear, when really you just hid it under a blanket. Throughout this stage she will

start to develop object permanence so that when you take the rattle from her and cover it with the

blanket this time she will be able to lift the blanket and find it herself. She will also start to

develop assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is taking new ideas and incorporating it

into old or existing information. For example Skye will now be able to hold a rattle and a bottle

on her own but since they basically have the same shape she will not be able to tell the difference

between them so she would try to suck the rattle like a bottle. Accommodation is when old ideas

or information is changed based on new information. For example Skye will now know that onl~

the bottle will give her liquid and not that pacifier.

*Erikson's Theory

Our new baby, Skye McCloud, was a sociable baby who grew into a smiley toddler. She loves to

laugh and play and seems to be very happy and giggly most of the time. Since she was a baby we

have given her all the love and attention a little girl could want and need. Since Skye has Down

syndrome, she needed a little more attention and interaction than normal babies to help her

develop well cognitively and to get her brain waves firing. She will be taken to the doctors often

and will probably not like some tests that may need to be run on her but her parents will always

be there to comfort her. We always fed her, changed her, bathed her, and basically kept all of her

basic needs met while trying to keep her on a normal and rout:ir· te..scilti~ie..._·

secure attachment to her parents and has develop ___ !!..in that she knows

her needs will get met and comfort will be provided whenfrn~ed:~~esanmdd'iher parents have

successfully conquered the first stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory.

Skye has grown into a joyful two year old who is learning to do certain things on her own and

,tarting to develop the cognitive ability to make her own decisions and form her own opinions

oout things around her. Since Skye has down syndrome, she may be a little delayed in cognitive

levelopment and may develop reading, language, and writing skills a little later than her fellow

:lassmates in daycare or preschool. Even still, she · ake some choices on her own and

' ve as parents will let her so that she can develo . For instance when we go out to eat

7ve let Skye decide on what she wants to eat for dinner, so that she can learn to make a decision

md decide on what foods she likes and does not like. One of her favorite things to do is pick and

~hoose which pair of shoes she gets to wear each day whether they match her outfit or not Little

iecisions and choices like these will help Skye become her own person and help her learn to

make decisions, even if she may d I 1 eve op s ower than some toddlers. Skye has developed a sense

of autonomy and successfully conquered the second stage of Erikson's theory.

*Vygotskys Theory /

Since Skye has Down Syndrome~ development in Vygotskys theory will be a bit slower and

it may take her longer to develop some of the vocalizations and comprehensive aspects. From 0-

5 months Skye should be able to react to certain sounds that her parents make such as cooeing or

baby talk. She should be able to coo herself and giggle when her parents make funny faces at her.

At this time she will also start to develop different cries for different needs she needs tending to.

From 6-11 months Skye will be able to comprehend when her parents say "no no" and know that

means stop. She will be able to comprehend two to four words but she will not begin to babble

until 10 or 12 months. She will now be able to smile and engage with her parents more then

before and she will watch her mothers face when she speaks to her. From 11-15 months Skye

will now be able to comprehend at least 20 words and communicate with gestures such as

waving her hand to say hello or goodbye. She will be able to stand up holding on to a chair or

table and she will produce her first oral word such as "dada" or "mama". From 16-20 months

Skye will start walking by 18 months, she will comprehend 40-60 words and know about 1-2

oral words. She can now identify objects by pointing to them. From 21-24 months Skye will

comprehend 100-125 words and be able to say 3-6 words. She will be able to follow one step

commands and beJl to acknowledge people by making eye contact and responding.

*Freud's Theory

As a newborn Skye is governed by the id, which operates under the pleasure principle

which is the drive to seek immediate satisfaction of their needs and desires. This is why the ora!

stage is so important from birth to one year of age. The oral stage is where Skye is able to get

1 1?t? n ? n

pleasure from activities such as sucking and feeding. This is what is going to keep her alive and

able to get the nutrients she needs to grow.

When gratification is delayed, as it is when infants have to wait to be fed, they begin to

see themselves as separate from the outside world. The ego, which represents reason, develops

gradually during the first year or so of life and operates under the reality principle. Skye is able

to see that she can make her own decisions. From one to two years is when anal stage develops

which is when the child derives sensual gratification from withholding and expelling feces that is

why appropriate toilet training is important. But as a child with down syndrome toilet training is

harder, so as parents have determine if Skye is ready and wait until she is a little bit older.

*P.hysicaJ Domain

Skye's first twelve tbs of development was faster than it was between ages 1 to 2. Her birth

weight doubled by 4 months and tripled by her first birthday. During the second year it slowed

down and her proportions grew and changed during the first two years. By two years old she was

31 inches tall and weighed 30 pounds. Skye will begin to develop gross and fine motor skills.

Gross motor skills are large movements made with the arms, legs, and eventually the entire body.

Fine motor skills are smaller actions. Since Skye has Down syndrome and is at risk for certain

physical characteristics like hypotonia, ligamentous laxity, and decreased strength, she will not

be able to develop these skills are quickly as other children. From 0-5 months she will be able to

bring her hands towards her mouth, move her arms in and out, and she will have decent head

balance. From 5-12 months she will be able to roll over, sit up on her own for more than a

minute, crawl, and pull herself up to stand. From 12-24 months she will be able to stand by

herself, walk by herself, and climb up the stairs with the help of her parents. Skye's health and

nutrition is also something to take into play. She was bottle fed since she had oral difficulties

1/2/2020 ,

with breastfeeding. She was introduc ed to solid foods by 30 weeks but on

ly healthy foods and

proper portions were given to her to help regulate her weight since she ha

s a low metabolic rate

because of her low muscle tone.

*Family Dynamics /

Family Dynamics are the ~t patt erns of interactions between membe

rs of a family. Even

though Skye was born with Down Syndr ome we have tried to make life as norma

l as possible for

her. Since breastfeeding was difficu lt for Skye, it caused tension betwe

en Val and her since the

atmchment that comes from breastf eeding was not there. Skye had trou

ble falling asleep for the

first 12 months of life so Scotty and V al took turns waking up in the middl

e of the night to help

her fall back asleep. Scotty and Val h ad to try extra hard and put extra effort into

helping Skye

develop language. They spoke to her very o ften from the time she was born in hopes t

hat she

would develop language around the same time as other infants. Since Val was still o

n maternity

leave .from her job she was extremely inte ractive with her throughout the day to hel

p with her

motor functioning and attachment When Scotty got home from work he would spe

nd the rest of

the evening with her before she went to b ed. By the time Skye was two years old t

hey were

introducing her to new people] places to help stimulate engagement with her e

nvironment.

*Social/Emotional Changes

Socialization is the process by which chi ldren develop habits, skills, values, and

motives that

make them responsible, productive mem bers of society. One thing we hope Skye

will develop in

these first years of life is committed com pliance. This is when obedience of paren

ts orders are

applied without the parents being around o r without reminders or relapses. For exa

mple Skye

likes to play with her toys and make a mess all over her playroom. If committed comp

liance is

fully developed she will know that h s e needs to clean h · . up er toys without Scotty or val telling

her and she will begin to clean them . up when she 1s done playing.

*Cognitive Changes /

One aspect of memory children develop in the first three years f lifi . ~ o e 1s wor~g memory.

Working memory is short-term st f • . . . orage o information bemg actively processed. This memory

capacity is found in tbe prefrontal cortex, which is said to control many aspects of cognition in

infants. Working memory is what helps children develop object permanence but may also be the

reason some children develop it late because it is one of the last memory systems to develop.

1bis is why by 12 months Skye will be able to find the toy keys we hide under a blanket because

working memory is said to be developed around this time of life.

Early Childhood (2-5 years)

*Piaget's Theory

From ages 2-5 Skye experienced the first two of Piaget's cognitive stages of development. Since

she has Down syndrome she did go through these stages a bit slower, but Piaget acknowledges

that children experience these stages at different ages. The first stage is the sensorimotor stage,

which is what Piaget proposes to be around 24 months and when a toddler should be capable of

organizing certain activities according to their environment by using sensory and motor activity.

At age 3 Skye was still trying to learn how to organize things into groups based on color or size.