Running head: CASE STUDY 1

Case Study- Healthy Child Development

Krislyn Anderson

Professor Angie Rosati

April 3rd, 2020

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Part A

1. Overall, I believe that attachment is the most significant to healthy child development.

The relationship and attachment of a parent to their child has the most impact on many

other factors of development from brain development to social and cognitive

development. Bruce Perry talked about how the first year of development is the most

important, if the first year is full of chaos, stress, and poor attachment it will lead to

negative development in the future and the child will fall behind (Early Years Scotland,

2017). He also mentioned the example, if a child has a stressful and threatening first year

but has consistent caregiving in the future they will still be negatively impacted and not

do well, but if a child has consistent caregiving and a good first year of development but

has abuse or negative stress in the years following that, they are likely to still do well and

recover in their future (Early Years Scotland, 2017). Having a consistent relationship in

the early years builds the foundation and greatly impacts the future of that child. It is also

mentioned in the Harvard University guide that the early attachment wires the brain in the

early years and is the foundation for brain development and how the child will respond to

their environment in the future (Harvard University, 2020).

2. Right in the first few pages of the ELECT document it talks about how “Early brain

development benefits from interactions with adults who are responsive and from

activities that challenge young children” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014, pg. 2). It

explains the impact of the early years on the child’s future development. The ELECT also

explains the barriers and issues a family might have that impacts that attachment, like a

stressful financial situation, and how that would affect the attachment and early

development of the child (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014, pg. 2). Also, in the
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section of the document where it begins to list the domains and skills in the infant age

group, a lot of the skills have to do with relationships and human interactions, for

example, under the social domain for an infant “smiling at an adult, returning the gaze of

an adult, seeking adults for play, stretching arms to be picked up” (Ontario Ministry of

Education, 2014, pg. 18). These are all example of serve and return, relationship-based

skills that are important in the early years and for future development. The document

references many times, attachment and the significance of these early relationships.

Part B

3.

Jace Ferlito is a boy, he has tanned skin, brown hair and blue eyes. Jace is shy and

nervous about new things but is more outgoing when he gets comfortable with the environment.

He has two working married parents and is currently the only child. He lives in a quiet

neighbourhood in a small house. The family doesn’t really have a religion, but the father is

Italian and Filipino, so they have some family get togethers with those cultures.
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4. In the first stage of development 0-1yrs, I hope my child develops a secure attachment to

his parents. Attachment is most important in the first year and helps build the foundation

for future brain development of the child, in the video clip Bruce Perry talked about how

relationships in the first year of life greatly affect how the child will learn and respond to

stress in their future (Early Years Scotland, 2017). It also affects how the child will build

relationships with others in the future. In the textbook it mentions: “A child’s internal

working model of attachment, developed early in life, can have a strong impact on the

development of attachments with other people as the child matures” (Kail, 2018, ch. 7.2).

Again, saying how the early attachment relationship will affect the child in their future.

In the next stage, early childhood 1-3yrs, I hope my child experiences positive

language development and the parents read to the child and help to build his vocabulary.

This is in the cognitive domain. I feel it is important because, for example, the textbook

talks about how the way parents read to their child helps increase the child’s vocabulary,

like explaining a picture to the child as opposed to just looking at it and moving on (Kail,

2018, ch. 9). Also, asking the child questions helps the child to think of ways to describe

something or answer what is being asked further developing their vocabulary.

In middle childhood 4-6yrs, I hope my child experiences a positive school

environment and positive self esteem, this is in the psychosocial domain. The textbook

says: “A drop in self-esteem as children move through the elementary school years in

middle childhood is common because children begin to compare themselves with peers”

(Kail, 2018, ch. 13.1). I feel it is important for my child to experience positive self esteem

because overall they will have a more positive outlook on life. The textbook also

mentions: “Children are more likely to view themselves positively when their parents are
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affectionate toward them and involved with them” (Kail, 2018, ch. 13.1), so I believe its

important for the parents to have a good relationship with the child as well to help build

up their self esteem and support them.

Finally, in adolescents 7-11yrs, I hope my child will experience mature moral

reasoning and empathy for others, this is in the cognitive domain. I feel it is important for

children to understand the feelings of others even if they are different from their own. I

also feel its important for them to understand moral reasoning and to learn what is right

and wrong and learn from their mistakes. The textbook states: “At the most advanced

levels, moral reasoning is based on a personal, internal moral code and is unaffected by

others’ views or society’s expectations” (Kail, 2018, ch. 15), I believe it is important for

parents to support children and help them to learn the proper moral reasoning and the

right and wrongs. The textbook mentions different stages of how a child develops their

moral beliefs and I think it is important for parents and the community to help teach and

guide children down the right path while also letting them learn themselves. To conclude,

these are the domains and experiences I believe are important for my child to know and

experience throughout each stage of development.

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References

[Early Years Scotland]. (2017, November 16). Dr Bruce Perry- Early brain development:

reducing the effects of trauma [Video File].

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp6fZrzgiHg

Harvard University, Center on the Developing Child. (2020). What is early childhood

development? A guide to the science.

Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/guide/what-is-earlychildhood

development-a-guide-to-the-science/

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014). Early Learning for Every Child Today. A framework for

Ontario early childhood settings. Retrieved from

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/ExcerptsFromELECT.pdf

Kail, R., V. (2018). Children: a chronological approach, fifth Canadian edition. Pearson Revel.

Retrieved from https://revel-ise.pearson.com/courses/5d7a2790e4b0038eefa2e01f/pages

/a5a85072d03093c2de92a3156e2277180e6b96d97?source=contents