Kara St.

Hilaire
SEI 650
Competency #1 Reflection

Competency one covered Diversity of Development in Infancy and Early
childhood, a topic that had its place throughout each semester. Graduating with an
undergraduate degree in Child Development and Disability Studies, I feel as though I
had a good amount of knowledge in this area before entering this program,
however; throughout my time in this program through assignments, papers, articles,
observations, and assessments, my good amount of knowledge blossomed into an
extensive amount of knowledge in the area of diverse development. I chose three
articles to represent my knowledge in this area: 1) three parent/caregiver
pamphlets addressing three different areas of development, 2) a case study on a 5-
year-old boy with PTSD, and 3) five child observations on typically, and atypically
developing children,
The parent giver pamphlets addressed 3 different development domains:
gross motor, communication, and social/emotional development. This assignment
allowed me to research and describe what each domain entailed, the importance it
plays in child development, and the role it plays in the lives of children with special
needs. This assignment also encouraged me to write these pamphlets in a friendly
style that was easy to read and understand, which is why I cross sectioned it in
competency 3.8, Ability to communicate with families in a competent manner.
I included the case study within this area because I luckily got a chance to
experience time working with a young boy diagnosed with PTSD. This boy allowed
me to gain a deeper understanding on adverse child development, and how trauma
can affect the growth and development of a child. This case study outlines
competency area 1.7, Knowledge of early childhood mental health issues including the
impact of stress and trauma, protective factors and resilience, attachment and
separation, and the importance of nurturing relationships.
Doing the five child observations was one of my favorite assignments,
because I just got to sit and intently observe different children with different unique
needs. I chose to use this product in area 1.9, Knowledge of typical and atypical child
development in assessment, intervention, curriculum development, and
implementation because of the requirements placed on this specific assignment to
observe not only children with a diagnosis, but for children who are typically
developing.