Case Study of Brittany and Marco
In this case study we will be discussing two, three- year old children in a public preschool
setting. They are in a class of 18 students and 2 adults. Brittany and Marco are the same age but
couldn’t be more different. Marco is very social and the other children love to play and be
friends with him. Brittany is notably shy and prefers to be alone, observing her classmates
instead of participating. The other children tend to not approach her because they know she does
not like to be social and interact.
We have discussed many of the theorists and theories in our readings the last few weeks.
The one that seems to stand out to me regarding Brittany is from Jean Piaget, you can find this in
the textbook Beginnings and Beyond . Piaget believed that everyone organizes their own lives to
mold the life around them.( Gordon and Browne 2016) Brittany may prefer to watch and learn
from her classmates in order to figure out how to interact or how to feel about certain situations
she might not be comfortable with. It may look like she is shy and she may be, but maybe she
wants to stay in her safe environment until she is comfortable enough to come out and face the
world. She could be taking it all in and learning how to express herself and feelings as well as
her ideas.
I think it is very important that Brittany knows that she can trust and rely on everyone
that she works with within the classroom. Brittany being a shy child she may be untrusting of
people and knowing she can come to someone for a hug or can cry or let out anger or any type or
emotion is important. I would make sure that Brittany had a job within the classroom that made
her feel useful but not one that makes her feel put on the spot. I also think if she had a buddy in
the classroom it would be useful. This child should be one that isn’t pushy or loud. This child
should be soft spoken and kind. Each child within a classroom needs to know they are loved.
Since Brittany likes trucks and cars and objects that feel “hard” I would let her choose at the
beginning of the day one toy that she can have with her throughout the day as her comfort item.
This will help cope with anxiety and stress. I like to keep a box of fidgets. I find these very
helpful to not only neurotypical students but typical as well. It is important that Brittany get the
work done but I also have found if you get down on their level and go to them at their current
activity and get them to do a few minutes of whatever task you need them to engage in this
works well. Then you can give them a few minutes of free time and then give them another few
minutes of doing the unpreferred activity.
I think having discussions with parents is important but it is also hard sometimes because
you don’t want them feeling like their child isn’t “normal”. Brittany may be a regular 3 year old
child, she just might be shy. I would tell the parents to be patient with her and to encourage her.
She likes the cars and trucks and items that feel “hard”. These are some things they can work on
at home. Sensory materials are great to use. When doing sensory activities use lots of talking,
describing how things feel, encourage her to touch it, hand over hand may be necessary and that
is ok. Progress may be slow but they may see increased speech and in turn there may be more
interactions at school. Also the teacher may share with them that they can get her evaluated if
they so choose and can see if further services for her are needed.
I think one of the theorists we could apply to Marco is Erik Erikson. He supports the idea
that play time is critical for development and letting each child choose what they want as their
pick. Marco has a lot of interests such as cars, trucks, reading books and coloring. These can all
provide time for social interactions to take place and further the imagination of children. Erikson
also believes that the role of the adult in these social play situations is vital as being a mediator
for the child and helping the child understand their emotions as well as consequences of one's
own actions. Albert Bandura knew how important being social and using reinforcement as a
reward was. Peer modeling, using each other as an example is such a strong example to teach a
child. This would benefit Marco tremendously where he already is so well liked among his peers;
perhaps he could be a good model to fellow students as well as Brittany.
Marco seems to not really need extra help in the classroom and is developmentally on
track for his age. He could be used as a model to his peers that need a little extra support in
certain areas. He is a very social, well liked child. He knows how to play appropriately with toys
and reading books as well as coloring. I think he would be best to be a support to Brittany since
they do have similar interests with the cars and trucks. The 2 of them having like minded
interests could help Marco and the teacher to break the barrier to get to Brittany and start the
communication. I don’t think there is any reason to differentiate any instruction for him in the
classroom.
When I was having a discussion with Marco’s parents, I would let them know that he is
very social and well liked in our classroom. He is right on track with his peers developmentally
and socially. He is a great peer model to his fellow students and is beginning to help with a
fellow student. I would ask if they have any concerns about him being someone's buddy or peer
model. I would like to thank them for their support at home. It is important for families as well as
teachers to have a strong relationship in order to keep the lines of communication open for their
students.
In conclusion, I think it is important to remember that all children are different. Each one
is going to excel at different times and different stages. This doesn’t make any child less than.
We have to meet them where they are at. It is our job as educators to find a way to get into their
