Your Developmental Case Study is divided into two parts.
Part One: Data Collection Part One of this assignment requires that you conduct two observations and an interview of a family member or the child’s primary caregiver. You will be addressing several questions based on this observation and interview data. Part One is divided into the following steps:
Select a child between the ages of birth and eight. This child should not be a relative but be a child that you have ongoing access to. Try to select a child from a family whose culture is as different as possible from yours. This will give you the opportunity to address Objective 8 – “the connection between family culture, language, and environment in the understanding of growth and development.”
Review relevant course materials to develop a profile of where you would expect this child to be developmentally based on developmental norms.
You can also refer to the document Red flags: A quick reference guide for early years professionals in york region, early identification of red flags in child development prenatally to age six. See link below
Include in your profile the following areas of development:
o Physical
o Social
o Emotional
o Cognitive
o Language
Observe the child. Select a method of observation from those presented in the “Common Observation Strategies” handout. Be sure to observe the child on two separate occasions for at least an hour. Please note: Although information gathered during a two hour period of time can be informative, observation and assessment data needs to be collected over an extended period of time in order to be valid. Based on your observations:
o Write a paragraph summarizing what you felt were the strengths and/or challenges of the observation strategy you selected.
o Identify five strengths of the child you observed. Include in your identification of strengths:
Why you identified the strengths you did
Examples of how these strengths were demonstrated during your observation
o Identify one area of challenge for the child you observed. Include in your discussion of this area of challenge:
Why you identified this area of challenge
Examples of how this challenge was demonstrated during your observation
Interview the child’s primary caregiver or a family member using your observational data as a tool for discussion. Include in your interview:
o What you saw as the child’s strengths
o What you perceived was an area of challenge
Ask the caregiver/family member:
o What factors they feel contribute to the child’s overall strengths
How the child’s strengths and/or factors within his/her environment can contribute to addressing identified challenge
PART One should be submitted in the form of a written essay meeting the criteria as explained in APA format and should be no less than one page and no more than 5 pages in length. This should be sufficient to cover the data collection process as well as the information and data gleaned from your subjects.
Part Two: Developmental Learning Profile
For Part Two of your assignment, you are required to complete a “Developmental Learning Profile.” This form should be completed based on the information presented in Part One of your assignment.
For this assignment, you will turn into your course instructor: • Your written work for Part One, including copies of rough notes from your observation and interview. • The completed Developmental Learning Profile developed in Part Two.
https://www.york.ca/support/childrens-services/red-flags-guide