PORTFOLIO PART A 1

“Falling Rainbow”
Student’s name and ID removed after consent received to use as an

exemplar (For reading only)

Portfolio Part A – Infancy through school

age (0-12yrs)

HEAL504
PORTFOLIO PART A 2

Background case study

On a partly sunny afternoon, I was 3 years old and sitting outside on the veranda playing
with my toy cars. As I played, I looked up at the sky to see the biggest rainbow of my life
towering above me. I felt like an ant under a shoe. I ran inside to my father, yelling that
someone had built a rainbow too big over our house and it was going to fall on us instead of
falling into the sea. My father took my hand and walked me over to the door where we could see
the rainbow. He explained there was no need to be scared, that rainbows were only a reflection
and don’t disappear by falling, but by disappearing into the air. Even though I didn’t fully
understand the makings of a rainbow, I felt reassured by my father and continued to play
outside.

This case study is from my own memory about myself from when I was 3 years old. I
have not named my father to protect his identity, and therefore do not require use of a consent
form.
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Section 1 – Theory / theorists

According to Piaget, a child’s intelligence and cognitive development matures

through their environmental interactions, integrating new information with current knowledge,
creating schemes (Newman & Newman, 2007). Piaget established four stages of cognitive
development, with each stage consisting of clear structures for integrating and organizing
new information as children progress (Santrock, 2009). The Preoperational Stage, occurring
around ages 2-7 years, sees children develop symbolic representations of schemes through
imagination, language and images. Piaget listed a shortfall at this stage as “egocentric loose
logic” (Newman & Newman, 2015, p. 96); where a child believes others see the world from
their viewpoint and use their past experiences to reason. Piaget believed this gave rise to
magical thinking where, in the child’s mind, impossibilities are real and logical (Berk, 2017).
This theory can explain my skewed logic and understanding around the origin of rainbows,
and the integration of new knowledge gained from my father’s explanation.

Equally, my development can be viewed through environmental influences put forth

by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, which puts an individual at the center of an
organization made up of fixed environments that the individual interacts with or is affected by
(Berk, 2017). Each of the environments’ combining influences help to form the development
of the individual, without them needing to interact directly with each environment. The
interaction between myself and my father, who is in my microsystem, helped shape my
understanding of the world and progressed my development.
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Section 2 – Cognitive domain and environmental influences

From the perspective of Piaget’s theory, during the Preoperational stage, my

understanding of rainbows and how they work would have been informed by my cognitive
schemes and past experiences, manipulated by my imaginative skills and mental images based
on my understanding of the world (Newman & Newman, 2015). My father, being in Piaget’s
Formal Operational Stage, likely had the logic to effectively analyse and understand my
imaginative reasoning for where rainbows came from and my real fear of a rainbow collapsing
on us. He was able to communicate with logical reasoning on how rainbows are made at a level
which I could make sense of at the time, while also developing my understanding as I
progressed cognitively. This identification of environment influencing a child’s cognitive
development in Piaget’s theory correlates with Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems
theory, which explains how layers of a child’s environment combine to affect their development
(Berk, 2017). The interrelationship between my microsystem (my father being an important
person in my immediate physical environment) and my cognitive understanding of how rainbows
are created is through his logical explanation at a level I could understand. He also provided me
with reassurance. This decreased my fear of a rainbow collapsing on our house and enabled
me to continue playing outside our home.
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Section 3 – Communication strategies

In the role of healthcare practitioner, it is important to help a child feel validated in what
they’re communicating; along with aiding their understanding and cognitive development
through a safe environment in which they can ask questions and express their thoughts and
feelings (O’Toole, 2020). When communicating effectively with a child of 3 years old, as a
healthcare professional, I would build a rapport by speaking with them directly, using language
appropriate for their age, supporting their perceptions, actively listening and observing their
verbal and non-verbal communication (O’Toole, 2020). This creates trust and a safe
environment, helping the child feel understood and valued.
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Section 4 – Ethical principles

Communicating with ethical principles is integral to health professionals when working

with a child and their caregiver, providing a foundation for respect and consideration of their
rights (O’Toole, 2020). As a healthcare professional, the characteristic of honesty is integral to
building trust in the relationships with the child and their caregiver and creates a safe
environment for communication in the healthcare environment (O’Toole, 2020). This
encompasses sensitive, compassionate responses to the child, giving them validity. Allowance
for clarification of expectations during clinical visits lets the child and caregiver know what to
expect around services and their rights around autonomy and choice.

(Total word count not including case study and references list = 660)
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Section 5 - References

Berk, L. E. (2017). Exploring Lifespan Development. Pearson Education.

Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2007). Theories of Human Development. Lawrence

Erlbaum.

Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2015). Theories of Human Development. Taylor & Francis.

O’Toole, G. (2020). Communication (4th ed.). Elsevier.

Santrock, J. W. (2009). A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development (5th ed.). McGraw-Hills