TECA case study
Case Study Sample 1
Introduction
The child I have chosen to observe is named Amy. She is a two-year-old who has fair skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes. Her birthday is May 16th. Amy is a toddler who lives with both her mother and father. The socioeconomic status of the family is as follows; her dad attended a two-year technical school where he received an Associate’s Degree in Auto Mechanics. He is now employed by the United States Postal Service, as a lead auto technician, and his income is mid-ranged. His mom also attended a technical school and received a Medical Certificate as a Phlebotomist. For personal reasons, his mother chose to work in a different field after having completed the certificate program. She is now employed by a small family-owned business and holds a secretarial position.
In addition to her parents, Amy has an older brother who is named A.J. He is eight years old. The family lives in a two-bedroom apartment in the greater Dallas area. The children share a bedroom, which is decorated with both dolls and cars to accommodate both genders. They also have a television in their room that is they use for both watching and video gaming. I specifically chose this child because of her enormous sense of curiosity.
Physical Development
Amy can run, walk up stairs with help, and jump off of the floor with both feet. According to the textbook, this is normal large motor development for a two-year-old (Manis, 2017). During my observation, she used different coloring crayons, picked up small beads (with adult supervision to prevent swallowing), played with blocks and displayed a multitude of other skills which require the workings of the small muscle groups. She engages in coloring and drawing pictures, and even has a few on display on her parent’s apartment walls!
According to her mother, Amy is a normal, healthy, growing girl. There were no reports of problems during her infancy. One complaint her mother had, however, was the fact that Amy periodically wakes during the night and will wander into her parent’s bedroom to sleep. Feeding time can be a difficult time for the family, according to Mom. Amy, if given the opportunity according to her parents, would rather eat McDonald’s chicken nuggets day in and day out.
Cognitive Development
Amy is in the Mental Representation Phase of Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage according to the textbook (Manis, 2017). She can remember where objects were last placed and recall them again after a few minutes have passed. According to her father, Amy loves to sing. When her mother presents her with a new song, she listens carefully and intently and watches her mother’s lips as she is singing.
Another example of cognitive learning at work is the fact that her parents are now getting her ready for potty training. According to Mom, she shows intense curiosity when it’s time “to go” with Mom and observes closely what is being done. Mom stated that she has been known to lose interest in the task, but responds well when Mom and Dad provide positive reinforcement for voluntarily sitting on the training potty with a diaper still on.
Amy can speak 2-3 word sentences. She can express what she wants and responds positively when her parents or caregivers need to correct phrasing. She repeats what was said and nods to indicate that she understands. Though Amy can almost completely finish the “Alphabet Song,” she still on occasion needs assistance in completing it in its entirety.
Social and Emotional Development
Currently, at age two, Amy attends daycare and is kept in a room with other two-year-olds. It has been recorded that Amy is definitely one of the more dominant children in her classroom. According to her caregiver, she often has a hard time sharing and recently has been labeled a “bully” due to her constant efforts to keep all of the toys to herself. Amy’s parents stated that they found this interesting because she doesn’t seem to have this problem at home with her older brother.
When asked to share, or acknowledge, that another classmate would like to play with a toy, Amy (according to her caregiver) has a tantrum and doesn’t understand the concept of sharing. Consequently, she spends a lot of time in the time-out chair. According to our textbook, toddlers are becoming more independent, and it is typical for them to show some aggression towards other children (Manis, 2017).
Family or Home Factors
Amy is being reared in a two-parent home with an older brother who is eight. The total household size is four. Because both parents work outside of the home, Amy attends a full-day preschool program at her church. The SES of the family has allowed for many opportunities for both A.J. and Amy.
I observed the parents bicker in front of the children. According to the textbook, it is important for adults to model appropriate social behavior, so this may account for some of Amy’s behavior with her classmates; as children often imitate what their parents say and do (Manis, 2017).
Summary
Part 1:
In summation, I strongly believe that Amy benefits greatly from her family’s SES status. The household income affords the family the ability to go out and explore on many levels; from going to the neighborhood park, the local petting zoo, amusement parks, and her daycare. I believe that a child of Amy’s caliber should continue to be encouraged to do positive things.
As an infant, her parents surrounded her with multiple stimuli which I feel contributed greatly to her physical and cognitive development. Amy was not limited to just a mobile hanging over her bed, but also had building blocks, computer aides, books, markers, crayons, stickers, flash cards, and an equally curious older brother who helped push her along.
I chose this child, because of her sense of curiosity and show of an immense amount of courage when it comes to facing new challenges. Although she is often reluctant to share with other children, she has no problem inquiring about her surroundings and people in them. She would either sit and observe other children at play or sit and observe the “new adult” in the room. But, it wouldn’t be long before she was making her way over to the newcomer and engaging them. It is important that her parents and caregivers work with her on developing positive social skills.
Part 2:
The learning environment I feel best suited for Amy is one that developmentally appropriate and academically challenging. She can learn quickly and retains information for long periods of time. An environment that has multiple stimuli and visual aids will be conducive to Amy’s development.
The ideal learning environment for Amy should also include adults who can provide role models in the nurturing treatment of the children, and the use of non-threatening communication strategies. That supportive environment is currently lacking in her home and should be improved there. Although her diet may present a challenge from time to time, I observed no signs of developmental delays, but it would be beneficial for her for the family to work on improving her nutrition. If Amy’s parents and teachers work with her, she has a promising future.
References
Here you place your APA reference for the textbook (The Dynamic Child)
