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Childhood Development Theories Growing up, we lived in the suburbs.
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Childhood Development Theories.
Growing up, we lived in the suburbs. I have no recollection of what happened between the age of 18 and 24 months. When I was in my early childhood, between three and seven, I used to follow my father everywhere and would do everything he did. At this age, in every photo my father has a cap, I also have one and where he never wore one, I also did not. Between 7 and 11, I started going to school and was considered old enough to do errands and would not run somewhere just because I was asked to depending on my mood. From 11 years onwards, I was always doing stuff with my friends such as walking around the neighborhood together, swimming together and other such stuff. I remember diving into the deep end a few days after my eleventh birthday just to prove a point.
Using Piaget’s theory, in the preoperational stage, I could not understand that my father wore certain clothes depending on the weather. If he wore a jacket at the beach, I would as well! In the next phase, concrete operational, I did not have to ran and pant just because I was asked to “ran to the neighbors!” walking was enough as long as I went where I was asked. In the formal operational stage, I took a risky plunge into the pool because I did not want some fellows to think I was cowardly or weak. Abstract concepts became important.
Some of the incidents described above fit in Erikson’s theory as well. Deciding to walk during errands when I used to run before was me using my initiative to assert my power as in Initiative vs guilt. If I was drawn from something, I liked such as a game, I would walk even slower. Jumping into the pool was a classic example of me proving a point that I thought was important to my identity as in identity vs confusion.
Child Protective Services Report
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Child Protective Services Report
I was privileged to have gotten an opportunity to work for the Department of Child Protective Services. I have had passion to try and ensure that children stay in loving homes where they are accorded the love that they need. Since time immemorial, there have often been cases of child abuse but unlike in the past when they could not be protected, things are now a little bit different. Child protective services is among the agency that have been created. With child abuse cases became rife in America, the government found the need to protect the children from cases of abuse and neglect. the system is quite complex and it varies from state to state. Child services collaborates with other entities such as; community based organisations and private child welfare agencies. Whereby they are able to accord services such as; parenting skill classes, rehabilitation, foster care, domestic violence, housing and employment assistance. This report generally looks at my experience at the Child Protective services including the skills that I did pick up there.
The first thing that I learnt was that Children Protective Agency is generally responsible for the general social welfare of the children. There was a team that were required to follow up on cases of children abuse that were reported. Social welfare services were mandated to remove neglected and abused children from their guardians and the streets. These children were later on placed with other families and orphanages. Child Protective Services normally, receives and investigates reports of possible child neglect and abuse. It also provides services for affected families, who are in need for protection and care for their children. Child services is also tasked with arranging for living arrangements with, foster families or next of kin. Child protection services also provides arrangement for adoption, permanent family relations for kids living foster care and adoption. As mentioned above the welfare services is tasked with various duties. In case of possible child abuse or neglect, the concerned individual can issue a report. CPS case workers receive the reports and they are screened in or out. Screening in happens when there is sufficient evidence of child abuse or neglect, therefore warranting an investigation. Screening out is undertaken if the evidence presented does not meet a states legal definition of child abuse or neglect. In such instance the social worker can refer to the person who initially reported the case or the community for assistance. After screening case workers respond, however the response time varies and is dependent on the type of alleged maltreatment. Case workers may interrogate the people in contact with the child, they can also speak with the child solely or with a caregiver present this is dependent on the child’s age. Given the amount of risk a child who is believed to be in immediate danger can be moved to safer accommodations. In some states if the risk is considered low CPS case workers focus on identifying support and services that the family will need, rather than collecting evidence for conviction.
Another role that the Child protective services are tasked with is that they ensure that guardians who are found guilty of child abuse and neglect are offered support by; ensuring they undergo treatment services and ensure that they also undergo services mandated by juvenile courts. In low risk cases caregivers are provide with in-home services and support; child care, parent education, counselling and so on. However, in high risk cases, police are called upon to investigate and may file charges in a court of law. Perpetrators of child abuse are placed on a state maltreatment registry, when there is confirmation of child abuse, these registries are confidential. However, for professions that involves working with children, the registry can be used to perform background checks. CPS workers are mandated to follow standard procedures when responding to cases of child maltreatment. CPS workers are guide by basic philosophical tenets; a permanent home is the safest place for a child to grow. CPS case worker’s efforts are more effective if the affected party is involved.During my internship I was also able to learn of the connection between child protective services and the foster care system. Foster care is whereby a child is placed with another family for a while and this family or the caregiver needs to be approved by the government. Placement of children is done by the government and is arranged by social services agency, parents or caregivers that are selected are then compensated for expenses. The parent although is the primary caregiver meaning they offer day-to-day care to the family, the state through the court as well as chill protective agency act as “in loco parentis” meaning they get to make the major decisions that may affect the child. For child protective services, I was able to find out how they liaise with the foster care system to ensure children who are placed in the system are treated well. The foster care system is one institution that is often viewed in bad eye. This is because most people are often aware of the mistreatment that children in the foster care go through including the physical abuse, emotional, sexual abuse. Child Protective Services is tasked with ensuring that the children in these homes get out and are taken to homes where they are loved and given the care that they deserve.
While at the internship, there were cases that I really got to study. One was the Gabriel Fernandez case. Gabriel Fernandez case is among the most looked at case and how Child Protective Services failed the boy. Typically, Child Protective Services are often tasked with following up cases that may involve a child being harmed this may include calls from the school teacher or the neighbors. When such distress calls come in, the social workers are often dispatched so that they can go and interview the child or siblings and remove the children from the said home. Gabriel’s teacher had tried making several calls explaining that the boy was being hurt but nothing seemed to have taken place. Gabriel’s case was not the only case that may have such issues, there are a few other cases where children who were harmed had tried seeking for help from Child Protection Services but it seems they were never able to get this help. One key issue that I related as to why such cases happened was because of the many cases that are reported but the officers are not as many. The Department of Child Protective Services often mandates that all accidents that affect dependent of children be reported. For most caseworkers, they try looking into cases of children who cannot have access to the outside world as they are more vulnerable to abuse. Children who are of school going age, most social workers often believe or at least have faith that the teachers or the neighbors may be able to notice the abuse and report it. With most CPS being understaffed, at times a caseworker may lose track of a certain child. For Gabriel’s case, it was quite unfortunate because even the software used to calculate a child’s likelihood of abuse had proved that Gabriel was likely to be abused yet no steps were taken. Encountering such cases made me scared if ever I will ever be in such a position. I was however encouraged with steps CPS were taking in trying to ensure caseworkers were not overloaded with work and thus such cases are not as common as the past.
A child’s behavior and their upbringing was also a lesson that I learnt and was able to experience firsthand. Children from foster care or those who have undergone abuse are likely to portray delinquency because of what they have gone through especially those that have been abused. Lack of a permanent home can be frustrating for a child as they need stability in their life. Abuse that the child experience, lack of affection and love as well as multiple moves create impetus for delinquency. Some children get into drugs as a way to cope with what they are feeling including use of alcohol, cocaine, heroin among other drugs. Some of the foster youth may also get easily recruited into gangs as they may find a sense of belonging from these gangs. Due to violence inflicted on them, they too may tend to be violent or even bullies in school as measure to try and protect themselves. There have been organizations that have come up to try and help foster care children that have been through abuse by providing counselling and support in order to help them not to get into juvenile delinquency or the life of crime.
The child protective services just like any other entity is faced with its own share of challenges. The institution is faced with an increase in caseloads and intricate social problems, this is all summed up by the agency not being able to maintain a skilled workforce. Cases of absence of good record keeping, hindrance the maintenance of useful case data. Service delivery is also hindered due to the stigma associated with child abuse. Difference in beliefs and necessary approach to be taken by both service providers and family, proves to be a challenge. However, CPS workers are tasked with ensuring the safety of children. The main aim being finding safe permanent residence for affected children. It is key to note that CPS job can be quite stressful and there are high chances of burn out, however it is quite rewarding.
The experience was generally a good experience. I worked under people who had the passion and the zeal that would ensure that the children get the best care from the homes that they leave in. Although I had learnt a few things theoretically such as challenges faced by children and importance of CPS in protecting them, challenges in foster care, and challenges in CPS, getting to experience them first hand and coming up with solutions was an amazing experience. By the end of the internship I had acquired problem solving, critical thinking, team work and leadership skills all which I know will be vital as I embark on my career.
My Child’s Cognitive Development
My Child’s Cognitive Development
Abstract
In this inquiry project, I will be designing curriculum that seeks to teach my son Englishalphabet letters, numbers to 10 and body parts in 4 weeks. I am very interested in what a child aged 2 should be able to do. I have a 2 year old son who was born in the USA but unfortunately does not know English despite being at such an age. This has greatly been weighing on me and so I decided to start teaching him letters, numbers, body parts and giving him examples about what each letter stands for, for example A is for “apple”. I am very concerned that he should be able to at least have mastered a few body parts, letters and numbers at that age like his peers. I believe that if unchecked, this may turn out to be very counterproductive in helping him grow up and develop at a moderate level.
This will be done through constantlyplaying alphabet games and number songs with him since children at his age like simple and memorable songs. I believe that songs make it easy for them to identify numbers and letters especially if they have colorful scenes. I am also going to take advantage of everyday opportunities such as having breakfast and using mealtimes to further cultivate my position as a model to emulate and teach him in the process. This will be done through playing simple eating games such as “One sandwich for mommy, one for daddy and another for you, that is one two three”. This will help build his counting skills by helping him master simple numbers by associating them with simple day to day experiences.For the body parts, I am going to point to various parts such as his eyes and other parts. To make the experience more authentic, I will record a video that shows how he was before teaching him and how he is after the four weeks of teaching. The video will help monitor his progress as he learnsEnglish letters, numbers and various body parts.
My 2 year old son was born in the USA butunfortunately, he does not know any English words except “Hi”. This is somewhat shameful since he is American yet is not able to understand the most basic forms of communication in English. This is the reason why I decided to start teaching decided to start teaching him letters, numbers, body parts and giving him various examples that demonstrated what each letter stands for. I want him to be at the same level with other boys that are his age and not feel left out.In order to fully achieve this, I will need to apply some concepts and theories in cognition that are directed towards early childhood development.When it comes to cognition, there are various aspects of it that we can relate and identify with that affect early development in small children. The most important of these theories that small children can identify with is imagery and perception(http://www.education.com/magazine/article/body-talk-preschool/).There are numerous ongoing studies that are aimed at establishing a concrete link between mental imagery and perception in small children aged 1 to 6 years. Mental imagery entails visualizing of images or events in one’s brain (Anselmo & Franz, 1995). Perception entails visualizing images and events based on external stimulus such as witnessed events or occurrences. Studies actually reveal that some cortical areas of the child’s brain are involved in both imagery and perception (Anselmo & Franz, 1995). What is evident is the fact that both imagery and perception play a significant role in memory and motivation and ultimately in early childhood development. Different people perceive things differently and that is probably why their actions differ.
The importance of perception is hence paramount in understanding any basic components such as letters, numbers and simple body parts. One must form a clear mental image of what is required of him or her and fully comprehend the components in an associative way (Brooks & Berlin, 2003). This principle applies to small children in that two children of the same age are very likely to have different levels of understanding and would relate differently to society despite being the same age (McCartney & Phillips, 2011). This was the main motivation for my inquiry project.
Thisinquiry projectis going to make a difference in my young son in whom I am going to apply these principles. Aged 2 years old, I decided to teach him because he is an American, and I am planning to live here for a couple of years. I am currently studying for my Ph.D. and hence estimate that we will be staying her for at least four years. This implies that my son is going to study his first grade and kindergarten here.It is because of this that I do not want him facing language barriers or trouble communicating with his friends because he does not know English. I am considering taking him to an international school once we return to our home country Saudi Arabia.
Ultimately the inquiry project will also make a significant difference in my life too.One key aspect of growth in the development of different behaviors in people is the ability to learn and adapt to what they see in others. This theory holds true even in small children (Goswami, 2007). Role models are widely believed to influence people, both young and old, in the manifestation of behavior. Various conditions need to be fulfilled in order to thrive in learning from a role model that include paying attention, retaining what is observed and having the motivation and skill to learn from the model (Bjorklund , 2012). Using the same approach, but on a smaller and less complex scale I intend to act as the role model for my small son to imitate. Through imitation, he has the ability to reconstruct some of the things that he sees me do and in the process subconsciously add these actions to his cognitive ability (Benson & Haith, 2009). This means that I will adjust my schedule and time slightly in order to dedicate some time to tech him letters, numbers and body parts. It will be very encouraging to me once he graspsthese teachings within the four weeks. I will be more confident in his communication skills if the inquiry project is successful so in a way the project will also make a difference in my life too.
According to the preschool or kindergarten content standards that are outlined in New York State (common core state standards), counting to 10, recognizing some of the alphabet letters and body parts are basic standards that children of my son’s age should learn(Brooks & Berlin, 2003). These standard stipulate that in order to teach these components of children study to pre-K children and grades K-3, one should create a detailed schedule of the daily routines and activities for a preschool or kindergarten teaching session. One should ensure that language and literacy experiences are provided throughout the day. In order to build the learning experience to enable him master some letters, numbers and body parts, I will teach him using some visual strategies. I will act as a presenter and employ gestures and language with many pictures. Books with pictures and diagrams are also very critical in helping enhance his visual learning (Bjorklund, 2012). I will aim to use techniques that help him reconstruct the letters, numbers and body parts that he has learnt. I estimate that by the third week he should be able to redraw images and letters from memory, try different spatial arrangements, and replace numbers with initials and symbols. This will signify that it is time to reduce his study sessions into smaller periods(Brooks & Berlin, 2003).These sessions will be constructed through various instructional strategies and I will designthe instructions and the methods of assessment that will enable him complete the learning process within the stipulated four weeks. A good instructional strategy that I will be using this period is teaching him numbers and body parts kinesthetically.Statistics show that children who learn better through kinesthetic means should try to experience the things that they are learning in order for them to remember it best(Brooks & Berlin, 2003).
Some questions that will guide me in the process are based on Bloom’s wheel and I have concluded that the four key questions I will use are: Will my son be able to easily recognize numbers, letters and body parts? Secondly, will my son be able to comprehend what the meaning of the letters, numbers and body parts he learns? Thirdly will my son be able to apply and use the letters and numbers that he has learnt? And lastly will he be able to analyze and evaluate the letter he has learnt and numbers to form words that he can use constructively?
I will then use the evidence and match my results against the four question derived so that I can be able to determine whether or not I have had an effect in my goal of teaching him some letters of the alphabet, numbers and body parts. I will break down the procedure of teaching him these three elements by first teaching him numbers. I will do this throughplaying number songs since children at his age like songs. These songs will help him memorize numbers in a catchy and interactive way (http://www.babycenter.com/404_how-and-when-should-i-teach-my-child-her-numbers_6899.bc). I will also utilize day to day experience such as helping him learn how to count during breakfast by helping him count pancakes such as, “One pancake for mommy, one for daddy, one for you and so one, two, three”. The second level of teaching will be teaching him the alphabet. I will do this using a26 two-sided, interactive flash cards. I will also play the Sesame Street series which gives a creative way of identifying letters accompanied by songs (http://www.babycenter.com/404_whats-the-best-way-to-teach-my-child-the-alphabet_6897.bc). Lastly, I will teach him about body parts by printing out pictures of various parts and pointing to mine as I teach him to identify each of them.
In order that I may assess the success, I will record a video that shows my son’s ability before and after the four weeks of teaching by using different games, songs, flashcards and educational videos. That video will be conclusive in proving that he does not have the ability to count to 10, recognize his body parts and some of the alphabet letters before teaching him. Then, after four weeks, I will record another video to show his ability to do the things stated and note his progress.
The results of my project inquiry are indeed very encouraging. The video clearly shows that my child now after only 4 weeks of teaching has the ability to recognize some of the alphabet letters, count to 10 even though he is missing some numbers, and recognize his body parts.The video clearly captures his progress from week one to week four. Each week is marked by a significant progress in one of the three sections that I am teaching him. For him, learning the alphabet letters has not been as hard as learning all the numbers. The results show that he has This is very encouraging because I believe that with continued training, he will be able to fully master all the numbers and with time use what he has learnt constructively. His progress in only four weeks has been very spectacular and I am now very confident that our 4 year stay in America will help him build his linguistic and literacy levels.
The next time that I have the opportunity to conduct the inquiry project I hope to reduce the turnaround time for teaching him to less than four weeks. I have established that indeed he has a lot of potential and with refined instructional strategies I can help him learn in less time. This will have a greater impact and difference in himbecause I will have more time to help him learn other components that will help build his linguistic knowledge. The inquiry project has therefore been very significant in making a difference in my son’s cognitive development.
References
Anselmo, S., & Franz, W. (1995). Early childhood development: Prenatal through age eight. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Merrill.
Benson, J. B., & Haith, M. M. (2009). Language, memory, and cognition in infancy and early childhood. Amsterdam: Academic.
Bjorklund, D. F. (2012). Children’s thinking: Cognitive development and individual differences. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Body Talk: Pre-school(2008). Retrieved from http://www.education.com/magazine/article/body-talk-preschool/Brooks-Gunn, J., Fuligni, A. S., & Berlin, L. J. (2003). Early child development in the 21st century: Profiles of current research initiatives. New York: Teachers College Press.
Goswami, U. C. (2007). Blackwell handbook of childhood cognitive development. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Pub.
How and When Should I teach My Child Numbers? (2009). Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.com/404_how-and-when-should-i-teach-my-child-her-numbers_6899.bcMcCartney, K., & Phillips, D. (2011). Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
What is the best Way to teach My Child the Alphabet? (2009). Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.com/404_whats-the-best-way-to-teach-my-child-the-alphabet_6897.bc