CASE STUDY OF A CHILD

AGE 12

TANIA SANCHEZ
EDU 220- 1001
JUNE 21, 2020
 OVERVIEW OF 12- YEAR -OLD CHILD’S
DEVELOPMENT IN DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS
Physical Development
❖ Fast and sudden changes in growth
❖ Girls mature faster than boys
❖ Boy’s muscles are larger than the girl’s muscles
❖ Sex curiosity
❖ Self-conscious about appearance
Social Development
❖ Able to understand different points of view.
❖ Develop closer relationships to friends
❖ Distance themselves from parents
❖ Enjoy working in groups
❖ Dress like friends
❖ Don’t like being made fun of in public places
Emotional Development
❖ Mood Swings
❖ Are typically self conscious and self centered
❖ Worried about looks and become less verbal
Cognitive Development
❖ Self concept , academic motivation, and achievement
decline
❖ Capable of analyzing different points of views
❖ Self efficacy
❖ Able to read more and memory increases
❖ Able to analyze different points of view
Philosophical Development
❖ The danger of role confusion
❖ Developing identity
❖ At this age, they will discover what path they want to
take in life
 TYPICAL BEHAVIOR OF A 12- YEAR- OLD CHILD
❖ Self- conscious about their image due to the body changing
❖Awkward stages of “Appearance and physical coordination”
❖Adolescents begin to distance themselves from their parents to form their own
identities
❖“Friends become more important,”
❖“Stablish sexual identity”
❖(Medline, 2020).
 TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT LEVEL
ACCORDING TO SNOWMAN
❖Growth rates are different between boys and girls.
❖In the middle school years, adolescents can grow “2 to 4 inches and gain 8 to 10
pounds per year.”
❖“Middle school children tend to gangly and clumsy,”
❖Muscles, heart and lungs are larger in boys than in girls
❖Early maturing boys tend to be more popular and confident but are at more risk of
developing depression.
❖Late-maturing boys have a lot of energy have lower self-esteem and are more
cooperative.
❖(Snowman, J. & McCown, R. 2015, p.93-94).
 OBSERVATION OF PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

❖Meets developmental milestones:

❖The twelve –year- old boy I overserved displays high levels of energy. He enjoys
being active through swimming, playing basketball, and running around chasing his
pets.
❖He has also become highly independent for instance, he is capable of preparing
simple meals for himself and his little sister.
❖His appetite has also increased, he often takes multiple trips to the fridge to snack on
foods or drinks.
❖The biggest noticeable changes have been in voice and slight growth of facial hair.
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT
❖“Provide more food”
❖Give explanations about the changes the adolescent is going through. Let them is normal
and tell them not to compare themselves with others their age.
❖Give then medication for acne if needed.
❖Give compliments
❖Communicate about safe sex and preventative measures.
❖(University of Washington, 1993).
❖Help create healthy eating habits
❖Talk about body acceptance
❖(Ellsworth, J. 1998).
 TYPICAL EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORS
❖Becomes more defiant of authoritative figures in their personal lives.
❖Self -conscious about how they look, academic performance, and how others view
them.
❖Less communicative
❖(University of Washington, 1993)
❖Mood Swings
❖Loyal to close friends
❖“Embarrassed to show affection to close to family members.”
❖Does not like “Being teased or criticized.”
❖“Strong sense of right and wrong”
❖“Self- Conscious of sexual development.”
❖(Child Development Institute, 2019).
 TYPICAL EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR ACCORDING TO
SNOWMAN
❖Adolescents “Experience more intense positive and negative emotions.”
❖“Anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression.”
❖Self -centered and egocentric because they think that everyone around them can is
as interested as them in the changes they’re going through.
❖Embarrassed to be seen in public with parents
❖(Snowman, J. & McCown R., 2015, p.97-98)
 OBSERVATION OF 12- YEAR- OLD EMOTIONAL
BEHAVIOR
❖Meets Developmental Milestones:
❖The twelve –year- old boy I observed is very talkative when around close friend.
❖He has begun to distance himself from parents, he spends a considerable amount of
time alone in his room.
❖Aware of self image, chooses what clothes to buy and wear
❖Experiences mood swings from time to time, somedays he is talkative and nice while
other days be serious not wanting to talk and in a bad mood.
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
❖Parents should understand that students are going trough a time of both physical and
emotional changes and “expect respect,” from the adolescent.
❖Feelings and emotions of adolescent should be taken serious
❖ Provide advice and guidance on how to deal with emotions
❖(Child Development Guide, 1993).
❖Adolescent should have some type of privacy, either their own room or a private area to
spend time alone.
❖Communicate with them often about the changes happening
❖Set reasonable expectations that are clear and consistent.
❖(Medline, 2020).
 TYPICAL COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL BEHAVIOR
❖ Able to see problems and come up with solutions from information provided to
them
❖Becomes “interested in factual information”
❖Spends time
❖Memory and thinking increases
❖Able to think beyond visible information
❖“Understands the value of money,”
❖(Child Development Institute, 2015)
❖Performs well in groups discussion
❖Reads more information
❖Able to think more logically
❖(Child Development: Using the Child Development Guide, 1993)
 TYPICAL COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT LEVEL ACCORDING
TO PIAGET AND VYGOTSKY
❖According to Piaget, an adolescent reaches the Formal Operational stage where he or she can form a
mental hypothesis and come up with solutions on given problems.
❖Some adolescents may feel confused in forming their own self identity.
❖“Can reason about possibilities in a logical manner,”
❖Reach the state of “Adolescent Egocentrism "because they believe those who surround them are
equally as concerned as them in the manner they think
❖(Snowman, J. & McCown R. 2015, p.43-44)
❖Vygotsky believed that individual cultures also influences the way in how we interpret and use
information or life experiences.
❖According to Vygotsky, “Social interaction is the primary cause of cognitive development.”
❖Through “Mediation,” older individuals with more life experience can help younger ones transform
their life experiences into something more meaningful.
❖(Snowman, J. & McCown R. 2015, p.50-52).
OBSERVATIONS OF COGNITIVE CHARACTERISTICS
OF A 12- YEAR -OLD CHILD
❖Meets Developmental Milestones
❖He dedicates time on personal hobbies such as in building Legos,
playing videogames, and practicing his cooking.
❖Understands the value of money by asking parents to buy a toy
that’s “Just five dollars.”
❖Has taken an interest in reading information about past living
organisms such as dinosaurs.
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
❖“Encourage exploration of thought and deed.”
❖“Provide books and suggest books to read.”
❖Encourage the youth to be more involved in the community.
❖(University of Washington, 1993).
❖Adolescents need a “Classroom environment that is open, supportive, and
intellectually stimulating,”
❖ (Snowman, J. & McCown, R. 2015, p.98)
TYPICAL PSYCHOSOCIAL/SOCIAL BEHAVIORS
❖Becomes distant from parents
❖Reduces showing and receiving affection
❖Believe “Parents are too restrictive”
❖Friendships with are less intimate, friend groups become bigger, and girls start
to become more interested in boys.
❖“Annoyed by younger siblings”
❖(University of Washington, 1993)
❖Does not like being teased
❖Comes up with practical jokes
❖“Develops a strong sense of right and wrong”
❖“Self-conscious of sexual development,”
❖(Child Development Institute, 2015)
 TYPICAL DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL ACCORDING TO
ERIKSON

❖Identity Versus Role confusion

❖In this stage, adolescents will focus on building “Skills that will prepare them to take a
meaningful place in society.”
❖The Danger of “Role Confusion,” where adolescents are confused with what behaviors
are seen as positive or negative from those who surround them.
❖Self -identity is going to develop when adolescents get positive reaffirmations from
those who surround them.
❖Role confusion will happen when they can’t find “stability in various aspects of their
lives.”
❖(Snowman, J. & McCown, R. 2015, p.30).
OBSERVATIONS OF 12 YEAR OLD
PSYCHOSOCIAL/SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
❖Meets Developmental Milestones
❖The Most visible social characteristic of the adolescent I observed is that he has
become more distant with parents, in the past he would spend all his time with
his parents but now he sleeps over at some friend’s house often.
❖Another observation I made is that he not likes to be teased, and when someone
tries to tease him walks away and ignores anything that is said about him.
❖Practical jokes are also very apparent, there’s an inside joke he has between him
and his friends when they try to make each other look down at their hand with all
their fingers are touching together and if you look down he’ll say “Made you look.”
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL/SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
❖To help adolescent develop a good sense of Industry it is best to set “Realistic and
attainable goals that promote learning and a sense of accomplishment.”
❖Being understanding of the problems and confusion that adolescents face.
❖(Snowman & McCown, 2015, p.32)
❖Respecting but also setting reasonable boundaries
❖Allowing for more social interactions with friends and the community.
❖Not being judgmental of adolescent friendships
❖(University of Washington, 1993).
 TYPICAL MORAL/CHARACTER/ PHILOSOPHICAL
BEHAVIORS
❖Knows between right and wrong
❖Able to see different points of views and can come to own personal conclusions
❖“Concerned about the treatment of others”
❖Usually does not lie
❖Reasonable and thoughtful
❖(University of Washington, 1993)
❖More inclined to want to please friends rather than please parents
❖The adolescent is filled with many different emotions and confusion which make it
difficult to fulfill rules and expectations set by the parents.
❖Creating an individual identity can stressful because parents expectations and demands
❖Can rebel
❖(Ellsworth, 1998)
 MORAL/CHARACTER/PHILOSOPHICAL
DEVELOPMENT ACCORDING TO KOHLBERG
❖Kohlberg divided moral reasoning into six stages that progress as individuals become
more knowledgeable from being influenced by wanting to do what right and “avoid
trouble and gain rewards,” to constructing “Abstract principles that may or may not
conflict with social conventions.” (Snowman, and McCown, 2015, p.62)

❖Level 2: Conventional Morality

❖At this stage, individuals dollop the rules of society because those are the rules that
were set by society
❖Stage 3: Good boy-nice girl orientation
❖The right action is considered to be seen positively by others in society
❖Stage 4: Law-and-Order Orientation
❖Society is peaceful because they make and follow the rules. Respecting authority is
important.
❖(Snowman, and McCown, 2015, p.61)
 OBSERVATION OF
MORAL/CHARACTER/PHILOSOPHICAL BEHAVIORS OF
THE 12- YEAR- OLD
❖Meets Developmental Milestones
❖I saw that the 12- year- old is very thoughtful, once he went to the store
and bought some toys and there he bought an identical one for his
younger sister, one for my little sister (his cousin), and the last one for
himself.
❖Another observation I made that he got concerned about animals, he has
influenced his parents to adopt two cats and one dad because he said that
“It was not fair for them to be put down because previous owners didn’t
want them anymore.”
❖Wanting to please friends rather than parents, by buying similar clothes,
games, and the wat he speaks. He spends a lot of time playing videogames
and chatting with friends rather than spending time alone.
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONTINUED
MORAL/CHARACTER/PHILOSOPHICAL DEVELOPMENT
❖Make making choices for adolescent easier
❖Show respect for the adolescent as they are becoming adults
❖(University of Washington, 1993).
❖Give the adolescent reasonable expectations
❖Work with the adolescent to create a safe and comfortable environment embedded
in a routine.
❖(Ellsworth, J. 1998)
 REFERENCES
Child Development Institute. (2019). The ages and stages of child development.
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages/#.WR3Id_QrLrc
Ellsworth, J. 1998. Online lesson. Pepsi as a screening tool.
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/lesson2-1-1.html
Medline. (2020). Adolescent Development. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002003.htm
Snowman, J. & McCown R. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching, 14th ed. Stamford, CT: Engaging
Learning.
University of Washington. Child Development Guide. Twelve to Fifteen Years. Retrieved from
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/cdevguid/cdg14.htm