Discussion 3

Observing Development

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Observing Development

Summary of children’s developmental characteristics

Child 1

The child depicted traits that met the different milestones for the age. She shows significant eye-hand coordination as evident when she reached for the toy. Her sensory milestones were massively evident during the observation period. She not only used both her hands to explore the teddy bear, but she also moved it to her mouth. She is able to seek attention by making babbling sounds, an indication that the child is progressing well in her communication milestones. The child also illustrated both play and social skills when she raised her hands to be picked up and enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with her mother. She is also able to feed well.

The child’s growth and development are promising. However, she indicates strengths in certain milestones unlike in others. The child’s strengths are evident in the sensory, communication, and feeding milestones (Pathways.org, n.d.). She also indicates strengths in coordination abilities as well as play and social skills. However, the child’s motor milestones were lacking but the period the child was observed could have skewed the results.

Based on the child’s age, growth and development, she is progressing well. She has marked most of her milestones and exceeded some (Pathways.org, n.d.). Her parent indicated that the child enjoys bath time. She also established that the child is always playful and tolerates diaper and clothes change unless she is hungry or unwell. The parent’s response and the observed development of the child ascertain that she is likely to perform more functions at a significant rate (Pathways.org, n.d.). Therefore, no much effort is needed for the child’s developmental improvement.

Child 2

This child walks alone without much support. He is able to remove items obstructing his way, including toys and pulls them behind him. In addition to this, he is able to move up and down the stairs with little support. The child can feed himself despite being playful with food. He can turn doorknobs and open the door. He is also able to drink from an open cup even though he makes messes. His communication was impressive as he could easily form a sentence. However, his inability to climb up the coach was questionable yet he performed much more difficult tasks.

The child’s developmental milestones are appropriate for his age. One major strength is that the child is independent and does most things alone. He is able to walk alone without tripping or falling, establishing that his motor milestones are his strengths despite lagging in some of these milestones (Pathways.org, n.d.). The social and communication skills are also strong suits for the child (The Early Childhood Direction Center, 2012). An aspect of cognitive skills was lacking. The major weakness of this child is attributed to the fact that he always kept to himself and only identifies with his caregiver (The Early Childhood Direction Center, 2012).

A 22-month-old child is expected to do so much. Language development is considered to be among the most essential milestones in this age group and this child’s communication is significant. While some expectations are often beyond the children’s ability, their rapid growth entails much-needed development (The Early Childhood Direction Center, 2012). As indicated by the caregiver, the child often enjoys his own company, yet it is not healthy for him to be a loner at this age. The child is able to do much better but needs to be around children his age and more people in his daily vicinity (Pathways.org, n.d.).

Child 3

The 30-month-old boy surpassed the milestones defining his age. He was able to identify items in drawings and color pictures. He is able to flip to the next page and color the pictures as well. He identifies the different times set aside for different activities as evident when he ran from and to the classroom. The boy is able to pedal a tricycle and is willing to share it with other kids in the playground. He is always happy and arranges his words well when asking questions.

A primary strength for this child is his developed balance and coordination. He comfortably and smoothly pedals a tricycle and runs without tripping or falling (The Early Childhood Direction Center, 2012). His motor development illustrates that his development is beyond his age. The clarity of his speech also indicates his strengths. His response to the bell is a clear indication that the child’s understanding is on a significantly higher level in comparison to his peers (The Early Childhood Direction Center, 2012). However, the child indicated little interest in other children in the field. Besides, he seemed to ignore children of the opposite gender.

The child’s abilities and milestones could be compared to that of a 36-month-old child as his performance levels are suggestively higher (Pathways.org, n.d.). In addition to the observed developments, the teacher indicated that the child is fast in completing puzzles with four pieces and comfortably serves himself during meal times. It was also established that he enjoys storytimes and likes to color. His growth and development are promising as he has accomplished most of the milestones for a 30-month-old child and will most likely achieve more by the time he clocks three years.

References

Pathways.org. (n.d.). 4-6 Months Milestones. Retrieved from https://pathways.org/growth-development/4-6-months/milestones/

Pathways.org. (n.d.). Milestones Checklist. Retrieved from http://vlc.nccommunitycolleges.edu/storyline/EDU234-May2019/M2-documents/milestoneschecklist_updated.pdf

The Early Childhood Direction Center. (2012). Developmental Checklists Birth to Five. Retrieved from http://vlc.nccommunitycolleges.edu/storyline/EDU234-May2019/M2-documents/Developmental_checklists_Updated2012.pdf