Journal 1 page due in 8 hours

Child Development Observation #2

Vernessa Combs

ECE 205: Introduction to Child Development

July 22, 2019

Child Development Observation #2

DEVELOPMENTAL CHECKLIST - 4 TO 5 YEARS

CHILD’S NAME: SARAH

DATE OF OBSERVATION: July 22, 2019

NAME OF OBSERVER:

MILESTONES

GROSS MOTOR

· Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer

· Hops, somersaults

· Swings, climbs

· May be able to skip

FINE MOTOR

· Copies triangle and other geometric patterns

SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT

· Draws person with body

· Prints some letters

· Dresses and undresses without assistance

LANGUAGE

· Recalls parts of a story

SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT

· Speaks sentences of more than 5 words

· Uses future tense

· Tells longer stories

· Says name and address

COGNITIVE

· Can count 10 or more objects

· Correctly names at least 4 colors

· Works in small groups for 5-10 minutes

· Better understands the concept of time

· Knows about things used every day in the home (money, food, etc.)

SELF-HELP

· Uses fork, spoon independently

· Can chew with lips closed

· Goes to the bathroom independently, with reminders

· Undresses independently, may be able to unbutton and unzip

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL

OBSERVED

· Wants to please

· Prefers to be with friends

· More likely to agree to rules

· Likes to sing, dance, and act

· Shows more independence

DEVELOPMENTAL RED FLAGS (4 TO 5 YEARS)

· Exhibits extremely aggressive, fearful or timid behavior

· Is unable to separate from parents

· Is easily distracted and unable to concentrate on any single activity for more than 5 minutes

· Shows little interest in playing with other children

· Refuses to respond to people in general

· Rarely uses fantasy or imitation in play

· Seems unhappy or sad much of the time

· Avoids or seems aloof with other children and adults

· Does not express a wide range of emotions

· Has trouble eating, sleeping or using the toilet

· Cannot differentiate between fantasy and reality

· Seems unusually passive

· Cannot understand prepositions ("put the cup on the table"; "get the ball under the couch")

· Cannot follow 2-part commands (“pick up the toy and put it on the shelf”)

· Cannot give his first and last name

· Does not use plurals or past tense

· Cannot build a tower of 6 to 8 blocks

· Holds crayon with fisted grasp

· Has trouble taking off clothing

· Unable to brush teeth or wash and dry hands

Summary:

Sarah does not seem to be active as her colleague Samantha. Her arms and hands seem to be weaker than those of Samantha because she cannot build her castle as fast as Samantha. However, she was able to count the blocks which were built by Samantha.

Typical developments

Generally, Sarah was not very active as her colleague Samantha who is also her age mate. However, she could balance on one foot for a few seconds because she tried to put more blocks on the tower that was built by Samantha. She had mastered walking and could even run or change direction. She might be learning to skip because her legs seemed to have developed well.

Sarah counted Samantha’s blocks that were more than five. She was also curious to know how Samantha had managed to build such a tower. Sarah called her teacher and asked her to comment on the tower she had built. She demonstrated various cues that indicated her level of interest and the amount of detail she needed to know. The level of interest in exploring new things shows how well the child is developing (Groark et al, 2014). Sarah’s gross motor skills were good.

Her language was also well-developed because she could speak to her teacher in sentences of more than five words. Her social development was very good since she wanted to please her teacher. She also wanted to be with her colleague, Samantha. This was seen when Sarah went to help Samantha in building the tower. Sarah also showed more independence because she tried to build the tower alone. She expressed herself quite well to her teacher.

Developmental concerns

Sarah’s developmental concerns include her failure to build a tower with more than six blocks. Inability to build a tower of 6-8 blocks is a challenge that requires attention for children (Lonigan et al, 2018). Her arms and hands seemed to be weak. This is because she was slow in picking up the blocks to build the tower. Although Sarah was able to ask some questions, it was not easy to understand what she was saying. She probably had difficulties with various concepts such as behind or beside.

Developmentally appropriate activities

To support Sarah, I would ensure that I assign her most of the self-help tasks. At her age, Sarah needs to be more independent. If she does the self-help tasks by herself, Sarah would have her motor development advanced. Sarah was unable to build a tower, therefore, she needs to do more exercise to become more active.

I would launch a competition amongst all children for hopping and swinging. I would demonstrate to them how to participate in the play. I would also set rewards for the child who would be able to hop or swing for the longest time. After rewarding the most active child, I would also be asking other children to clap for him/her. This would make them feel jealous, therefore, they would put more effort into activities concerning motor development.

To improve Sarah's communication skills, I would encourage the children to communicate with each other frequently. I would model a play that would include all children and ensure that they participate equally. I would also make use of questions during the learning lessons. These questions would be open-ended to give room for some explanation from the children (Sameroff et al, 2017). By answering questions and giving an opinion, the communication skills of Sarah would be improved. I would also make her feel appreciated for her contribution to the discussions.

Suggestions

1. The classroom should be arranged in such a way that it would enhance communication among the children. The walls of the classroom can also be decorated with various materials that would capture the eyes of the children and enable them to have a discussion.

2. Have various gaming tools in the school playground to ensure that every child gets to practice during the breaks.

References

Groark et al (2014). Early child development: From theory to practice. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Lonigan et al (2018). Development of phonological sensitivity in 2-to 5-year-old children. Journal of educational psychology, 90(2), 294.

Sameroff et al (2017). Intelligence quotient scores of 4-year-old children: Social-environmental risk factors. Pediatrics, 79(3), 343-350.

OBSERVED