Reference no: EM132388972

Assignment: Choose one of the options below and follow all instructions!!

For the infant/toddler assignment you can choose either the observation OR the interview.

Option 1 Naturalistic Observation: For this assignment, you will need to observe a child younger than 23 months (if the child is two or older, you can use them for the early childhood observation). You may observe your own child; however, remember that this is an observation. You should not be interacting with the child at the time so you will need another adult with you.

Meets All SLOs

Your introductory paragraph should include the following: describe the setting (where were you when doing the observation..... at home, at a park, a friends' house, etc.); date; time; gender of child; age of child; and your relation to the child (how do you know them). Then, describe exactly what you see the infant/toddler doing for 30 minutes. Watch how the child moves their body; describe their movements. Watch how the child uses their hands and fingers; describe their movements. Does the child make any sounds/attempts at language? Try to keep your assumptions and opinions aside. Use your senses to describe. The child should not be in front of a screen!

For the analysis, evidence that you have referred to the textbook is a must! Use quotes, refer to terms and definitions, put the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. You should use at least 2 terms per domain, but more is good!

Analyze the following categories (one paragraph for each domain):

2. Physical Development:

Describe which gross and fine motor skills the child has reached. What has the child already achieved and what would be the next step in development? What can the parent/caregiver do to stimulate physical development?

3. Cognitive Development:

Which of Piaget's SUB-stages for Sensorimotor Intelligence do you see and why?? Give specific examples related to the stage of development.

If the child is 6 months or older, try the object permanence experiment. Does the child know the object is still there if hidden??

Language: Describe the child's development in language. Again, describe what the parents/caregivers can do to stimulate language development.

4. Psychosocial Development:

Describe which developing emotions the child has reached.

Can you classify the baby as easy, difficult or slow to warm up? Give examples. You may need to ask the primary caregiver this question.

Choose one other aspect of psychosocial development to discuss (do you see evidence of the theories of infant psychosocial development? Do you see evidence of attachment? Any other concept from Chapter 7)

5. A concluding paragraph: what did you learn from this observation? Your general comments about this process. At least four to five sentences here!!

Or, if you do not have a child to observe you may do an interview!

Option 2: Interview your own parents about your early years. Let the interview flow naturally, but do cover all the domains of development:

1. Begin your paper with an introductory paragraph about your family. What was pregnancy, labor and delivery like with you? Do you have siblings? What is the birth order? Anything else you would like to describe about your family structure?

Evidence that you can apply the information from the textbook is a must! Use quotations, with the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. **Ask the following questions and also add two questions of your own design for any domain. What do you want to know about your early years? Please type out the exact questions you asked, followed by your parents' responses.

2. Physical:

When did you sit up or take your first step?

When and HOW did they potty-train you?

Health and Safety Concerns: in recent years, we have become much more concerned about baby safety. Ask your parents if they used a car seat for you? Did they use a baby monitor so they could hear you? How did they baby-proof the house? And, were you ever accidentally injured as a baby/toddler?

3. Cognitive:

Ask your parents to describe a typical day with you as a young child. How did they stimulate your cognitive development?

Language Development: What was your first word? When did you say it? How did your parents support language acquisition? Remember the different theories in child development (language is an innate ability; or language attempts are rewarded - behaviorism).

4. Psychosocial:

How would your parents describe attachment theory? Did you have multiple caregivers? How did they foster bonding and attachment?

Discipline: one of the great controversies in child development is on spanking. How did your parents discipline you? How do they feel about spanking?

Don't forget to add two questions of your own design.

5. Conclude with a reflective paragraph. How did you feel the interview process went? What did you learn about this experience? Give at least one specific example for each domain of development of what you learned and how it ties back to the theory. How does your development relate to what our textbook says?