Case Study Analysis: Early Childhood

Matthew Guevara

Capella University

PSY6015: Lifespan Development

Dr. Mary Anne Fricko

Nov 2022

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 CASE STUDY

Dawn is an active and assertive 4-year-old African American girl. She lives in a small

suburban community with her parents, Terry and Bill. Terry became a full-time caregiver when

her daughter was born. Even though Dawn had a difficult temperament, her mother showed

sensitive caregiving. For example, when Dawn exhibited a bad temper, her mother would create

games to deescalate the child's bad mood. Dawn was securely attached to her mother. When Dawn

was three years old, her brother Darren was born. He had a difficult temperament and was born

with a congenital heart problem that requires ongoing medical treatment and focused care at home.

The infant's condition led to financial difficulty, and Bill had to work more often to support the

family. These circumstances put a fair amount of stress on Terry.

Soon after this familial shift, Dawn began exhibiting problematic behavior at her preschool.

She began throwing toys when upset and would not cooperate in group activities. When Terry

learned about this behavior, she put her daughter in her room for a time-out after returning home

from school. Dawn was crying and clinging to her mother upon arrival at the home before the

time-out. This behavior shows a change in attachment style that resulted from a decrease in

sensitive care from her primary attachment figure, her mother. This attachment change has affected

Dawn's quality of attachment with her preschool caregivers.

Application of Lifespan Development Theory.

The sensitivity of caregivers plays an integral role in the development of attachment between

a child and an attachment figure. Barret and Fleming (2011) describe the attachment process: "The

interaction between a mother and her infant can be like a dance… This dance can be beautiful, it

can be awkward, it can be difficult. And sometimes it just does not occur!" The mother's initial

sensitivity and regulation of Dawn's emotions demonstrate a secure attachment style. This

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attachment pattern evolved when Dawn's younger brother Darren was born. He required more

attention and care from his mother due to his congenital heart condition and his difficult

temperament. These new circumstances limited the sensitive care that Dawn was able to receive

from her mother. In addition, the financial difficulties added to Terry's stress which further affected

her sensitivity to Dawn's care. Before Darren was born, Terry would show more patience when

Dawn exhibited whining or strong emotion. After her second child, Dawn was more apt to tell her

daughter to stop whining and respect that she needed time to care for her ill son.

This change in sensitive caregiving led to a change in attachment style for Dawn. Initially,

Dawn demonstrated a healthy, secure attachment, but after Darren was born, she exhibited an

anxious-ambivalent attachment style. This attachment style is demonstrated by her constant

clinging to her mother and cries for attention. The child is distressed since she receives less

sensitive care than she needs and was earlier accustomed to. As a result, the decreased sensitivity

in caregiving has manifested in behavioral problems at preschool. She demonstrates a lack of

emotional self-regulation as well as withdrawn behavior. When mothers exhibit neglectful patterns

of care, it can restrict the child's efforts to establish predictable contact with the caregiver, leading

to an increased negative emotional period. Infants can develop increased levels of withdrawal or

distress to regulate inconsistent caregiving (Field, 2006). It is important to note that possible

differences in caregiving sensitivity at home and at preschool can add to the incongruence felt by

the infant.

In addition to financial difficulty, Terry's children's difficult temperaments have

contributed to her increased stress level. Her husband is also less present which puts more of the

childcare burden on the mother. All these factors influence the mother's ability to provide adequate

care for her children. According to temperament categorization established by a longitudinal study

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by psychiatrists Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess, Dawn exhibits a problematic temperament

(Thomas, 1977). She exhibits high intensity, high negative mood, and high activity level. These

characteristics can make it harder for a parent to be a responsive, sensitive caregiver (Broderick,

pg. 147). Furthermore, children with difficult temperaments may have a genetic vulnerability,

making them more receptive to the adverse effects of insensitive parenting or negative

environmental influences such as stress (Broderick, pg. 147). This child requires sensitive

caregiving. The argument could be made that the level of care Dawn requires is like that of her ill

brothers. Insensitive parenting to Dawn is akin to neglectful parenting and will have detrimental

outcomes on the child's social-emotional and cognitive development.

Cultural/Contextual Influence

Cultural and contextual influences are undoubtedly crucial in considering any child's

development. Through examining this case study, I wonder how the parenting style will develop

as Dawn continues to mature and requires more independence and self-expression. Initially,

Dawn's mother demonstrated the emergence of an authoritative parenting style which is

characterized by high responsiveness and high demandingness (Broderick, Pg. 185). As the

primary caregiver, Terry is stretched thin and, therefore, will need to be more demanding in rules

and regulations as Dawn ages. Considering that Dawn is assertive and intense, authoritative

parenting will benefit Dawn.

Another influence on Dawn's development is her heritage as an African American. Her

family lives in a small suburban town, and Dawn is also the only Black child in her preschool

class. This factor is essential to consider because by being associated with an ethnic minority group

in the microcosm of a white suburban town, the family is vulnerable to racism. This discrimination

can happen in her community at school, where she is surrounded by children who are not like her.

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Racism during childhood can lead to social exclusion, anxiety, and depression, which can further

contribute to her emotional inhibitions (Macedo et al., 2019). The family's race has external

implications on Dawn, but internal family effects exist.

Each race and culture have its values and normativism that influence parenting.

Traditionally important values for African Americans include a focus on individualism, the

importance of kinship relationships, unity, creativity, cooperation, authenticity, and awareness of

racial disparities and discrimination. These values have been shown to contribute to an

authoritarian parenting style, which can negatively affect the child's development (Yasui, 2007).

Authoritarian parents tend to express less affection and restrict the child's emotional

expressiveness and self-assertive behaviors. This parenting style is especially relevant to Dawn's

development because she is exhibiting solid signs of assertiveness. The parent's authoritarian style

and a repressed assertive trait will cause internal conflict for Dawn as she develops (Broderick,

Pg. 186). Authoritarian parents are also more likely to enforce control using harsh and insensitive

techniques. For example, Terry demonstrated psychological control when she sent Dawn to her

room for a time-out without an explanation while the child was clinging to the mother and crying.

Intervention Using Lifespan Developmental Theories

Research suggests that children with more challenging temperamental qualities make infants

more susceptible to environmental influence (Broderick Pg. 147). Therefore, intervention is

possible and will significantly affect Dawn since she demonstrates difficult temperamental

qualities. There are two main strategies when considering intervention methods for this family.

The first is increasing caregiving sensitivity for Terry. The second is decreasing Terry's stress

level. Stress and caregiving sensitivity are interdependent factors contributing to Dawn's internal

turmoil and lack of emotional regulation. Increasing the mother's responsiveness to Dawn's

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emotional distress signals will increase the quality of caregiving given by the mother. Research by

Ainsworth supports that quality of caregiving is linked to secure attachment outcomes. Quality

caregivers included mothers who responded promptly and consistently to infants crying

(Ainsworth, 1978).

A 2013 study by Christine E. Parsons and Katherine S. Young concluded that parents with

musical training showed a significant advantage on an infant distress sensitivity task. The task

"[R]equired that participants discriminate between pitch differences and interpret these as

differences in infant distress." (Parson, 2013). By increasing the parent's musical training, they

will develop a higher sensitivity to infant distress signals. Working with a music therapist would

provide this musical training while also allowing an outlet for Terry to manage stress effectively

and healthily. Furthermore, this could be a joint once-a-week session that would include Dawn.

This quality time with mom would help reform a healthy attachment.

Conclusion

Dawn's behavior issues stem from an insecure attachment style to her mother. The child

experiences an increased level of distress as she sees a shift in the caregiving quality she received

from the mother figure when Darren was born. Dawn's difficult temperament decreases the quality

of care she receives. The mother's overall stress level is an essential factor as well. These three

interdependent factors are together negatively affecting the child's development. A music therapist

could create a treatment plan for Dawn and Terry that lowers stress, enhances parental sensitivity

through musical training, and creates a healthy environment for quality mother-daughter time. One

limitation of this intervention strategy would be either Dawn or Terry's dislike of music or

oversensitivity to sound. Although, there was no indication of this in the case study.

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 References

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psychological study of the strange situation. Taylor & Francis Group.

Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of
attachment. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Barrett, J., & Fleming, A. S. (2011). Annual research review: All mothers are not created equal:
Neural and psychobiological perspectives on mothering and the importance of individual
differences. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52, 368–397.

Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2019). The Life Span (5th ed.). Pearson Education (US).
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Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., & Diego, M. (2006). Intrusive and withdrawn depressed mothers
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Macedo, D. M., Smithers, L. G., Roberts, R. M., Haag, D. G., Paradies, Y., & Jamieson, L. M.
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Parsons, C. E., Young, K. S., Jegindø, M. E., Vuust, P., Stein, A., & Kringelbach, M. L. (2013).
Music training and empathy positively impact adults’ sensitivity to infant distress.
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