CASE STUDY ANALYSIS: EARLY CHILDHOOD

 

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CASE STUDY ANALYSIS: EARLY CHILDHOOD

Overview

As you have been reading, there are multiple aspects of development in the early years, including cognitive, emotional, social, and the development of a sense of self. What are the risk factors in a baby’s life that impede healthy emotional development? How do different parenting styles affect a child’s development of a sense of self? For this assignment, you will analyze a case study that deals with the early childhood stage of development, applying course concepts you have learned.

Preparation

  • If you haven’t done so, choose one of the following case studies from your Broderick and Blewitt text. Each case study includes a set of questions that can guide your analysis of the pertinent issues for the particular case.

    Angela and Adam, page 169.
    Dawn, page 205.

  • If you didn’t finish your research last week, use the Capella University Library to find peer-reviewed articles. If you are unfamiliar with the library, the “Finding Articles” section of the Master’s in Psychology Research Guide is a great place to start your search. You must include at least five properly cited resources.
  • Refer to the Week 4 Assignment Example [PDF] for an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.

Evidence

and APA

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The third core writing skill of the

Capella Writing Standard

s is related to

evidence

.

Capella Writing Standard

Integrate appropriate

 evidence

Integrate into

tex

t appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.

Developing your skills as a scholar requires you to consider your research

methods, source credibility, and synthesis of complex information. Ensuring

you are able to integrate appropriate evidence in your texts will better situate

you for success and supp

ort your development as a scholar.

APA Style and Format

Capella requires that learners use APA Style

 

to provide attribution to the authors

of external sources. APA promotes the abilities to paraphrase and summarize,

create concise texts, and develop in

tex

t citations and reference pages that will

connect your readers to important sources of evidence.

APA has developed a virtual representation of the APA manual on Academic

Writer, a tool that you can use to support you in following APA format. All

Capella le

arners are provided with a subscription to Academic Writer.

Explore APA’s virtual representation of the APA

Manual.

ACADEMIC WRITER

What Does It Mean To “Use APA”?

· Law Icon

BASICS OF ETHICAL ACADEMIC WORK

APA has a foundation in academic honesty and integrity. To uphold these terms, writers must provide citation of external ideas or sources, eliminate bias from their texts, and aim for objectivity.

· File Text Icon

BASICS OF DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION

APA provides writers with organizational tactics for sections of a text as well as standard formatting guidelines for academic texts, including formatting for the title page, table of contents, and tables and/or figures.

· Quotes Icon

BASICS OF CITATION

APA promotes the author/year writing process, wherein ideas from external sources are immediately cited in-text, using the year of publication.

APA Paper Formatting

Use this basic APA paper template for your course submissions. Note that most assignments do not require you to include an abstract, so you can simply omit that page. 

View APA Formatting in a Sample Paper

Evidence and APA

The third core writing skill of the Capella Writing Standards is related to
evidence.

Capella Writing Standard

Integrate appropriate

evidence

Integrate into text appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.

Developing your skills as a scholar requires you to consider your research
methods, source credibility, and synthesis of complex information. Ensuring
you are able to integrate appropriate evidence in your texts will better situate
you for success and supp
ort your development as a scholar.

APA Style and Format

Capella requires that learners use APA Style

to provide attribution to the authors
of external sources. APA promotes the abilities to paraphrase and summarize,
create concise texts, and develop in

tex
t citations and reference pages that will
connect your readers to important sources of evidence.

APA has developed a virtual representation of the APA manual on Academic
Writer, a tool that you can use to support you in following APA format. All
Capella le
arners are provided with a subscription to Academic Writer.

Explore APA’s virtual representation of the APA
Manual.

1/31/22, 2:11 PM

Case Study Analysis: Early Childhood Scoring Guide

https://courseroomc.capella.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/PSY/PSY6015/220100/Scoring_Guides/u04a1_scoring_guide.html 1/1

Case Study Analysis: Early Childhood Scoring Guide

Due Date: End of Week 4
Percentage of Course Grade: 20%.

CRITERIA NON-PERFORMANCE BASIC PROFICIENT DISTINGUISHED

Analyze lifespan
development
theories to
determine the most
appropriate theory
or theories to apply
to the case study.

27%

Does not identify
lifespan
development
theories.

Identifies but does
not analyze lifespan
development
theories to
determine the most
appropriate theory
or theories to apply
to the case study.

Analyzes lifespan
development
theories to
determine the
most appropriate
theory or theories
to apply to the
case study.

Analyzes lifespan development
theories to determine the most
appropriate theory or theories to
apply to the case study. Provides
justification for the selection or
selections by citing supporting
research and/or relevant
examples from similar
circumstances.

Apply the
appropriate lifespan
development theory
to support an
identified
intervention
process.

27%

Does not apply a
lifespan
development
theory to support
an identified
intervention
process.

Applies a lifespan
development theory
that does not
support the
identified
intervention process
or is inappropriate
to the
circumstances
described.

Applies the
appropriate
lifespan
development
theory to support
an identified
intervention
process.

Applies the appropriate lifespan
development theory to support
an identified intervention process
and supports the selection of the
theory with recent academic
research and/or examples from
similar circumstances.

Describe the
potential impact of
individual and
cultural differences
on development for
the current age and
context described in
the case study.

26%

Does not identify
the potential
impact of
individual and
cultural
differences on
development for
the current age
and context
described in the
case study.

Identifies rather
than describes the
potential impact of
individual and
cultural differences
on development for
the current age and
context described in
the case study.

Describes the
potential impact
of individual and
cultural
differences on
development for
the current age
and context
described in the
case study.

Analyzes the potential impact of
individual and cultural
differences on development for
the current age and context
described in the case study, and
supports analysis with recent
academic research and/or
examples from similar
circumstances.

Convey purpose, in
an appropriate tone
and style,
incorporating
supporting evidence
and adhering to
organizational,
professional, and
scholarly writing
standards.

10%

Does not convey
purpose, in an
appropriate tone
and style,
incorporating
supporting
evidence and
adhering to
organizational,
professional, and
writing scholarly
standards.

Conveys purpose in
an appropriate tone
or style. Clear,
effective
communication is
inhibited by
insufficient
supporting evidence
and/or minimal
adherence to
applicable writing
standards.

Conveys
purpose, in an
appropriate tone
and style,
incorporating
supporting
evidence and
adhering to
organizational,
professional, and
scholarly writing
standards.

Conveys clear purpose, in a tone
and style well suited to the
intended audience. Supports
assertions, arguments, and
conclusions with relevant,
credible, and convincing
evidence. Exhibits strict and
nearly flawless adherence to
organizational, professional, and
scholarly writing standards.

Apply APA style and
formatting to
scholarly writing.

10%

Does not apply
APA style and
formatting to
scholarly writing.

Applies APA style
and formatting to
scholarly writing
incorrectly and/or
inconsistently,
detracting
noticeably from
good scholarship.

Applies APA style
and formatting to
scholarly writing.

Applies APA style and formatting
to scholarly writing. Exhibits
strict and nearly flawless
adherence to stylistic
conventions, document
structure, and source
attributions.

1

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Case Study Analysis: Early Childhood

Learner’s Name

Capella University

PSY6015: Lifespan Development

Instructor Name

July, 2020

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Case Study

Sophia is a 24-month-old who lives with her mother and maternal grandmother. She has

never had contact with her biological father. She is a biracial child whose mother is Mexican

American and whose father is African American. Sophia stays at home with her maternal

grandmother during the day while her mother works as a waitress. While there were no pregnancy

or birth complications with Sophia, her mother was exposed to significant pre- and postnatal stress

and experienced notable postpartum depression, which resulted in inconsistent care for Sophia.

When her mother leaves for work, Sophia often cries uncontrollably, but upon her mother’s return,

Sophia ignores her mother or clings to her grandmother. Sophia does not yet use two-word phrases

and primarily communicates through gestures or pointing. Sophia enjoys playing with dolls and

looking at books but rarely engages in play independently and often follows or clings to her

grandmother during the day. Sophia is beginning to feed herself and shows some interest in toilet

training. Sophia’s pediatrician reports that Sophia is overall in good health but has concerns about

lack of language development. Sophia’s family moved frequently within her community in rural

Tennessee during the first years of her life because of trouble securing housing. The family

currently lives in a two-bedroom apartment in which Sophia shares a bedroom with her mother.

Sophia currently co-sleeps with her mother. Sophia has trouble falling asleep on her own and will

wake if someone else is not in the room. Sophia’s mother and grandmother have a contentious

relationship. Her grandmother is often critical of her mother’s parenting skills and thinks that

Sophia’s mother should be more attentive to Sophia’s needs. Sophia’s mother reports feeling

overwhelmed and depressed and is often angry when Sophia cries when she comes home from

work. The family has limited financial resources, and money is a constant source of stress. At times,

there is not enough food in the house and the family has to use local foodbanks. The family has no

extended family in the area and a limited social support network.

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Case Study Analysis: Early Childhood

Sophia is a 24-month old biracial child who lives with her mother and maternal

grandmother. Sophia’s mother was exposed to significant pre- and postnatal stress. She

experienced notable postpartum depression, which resulted in inconsistency in care for Sophia.

According to her pediatrician, Sophia is in good health overall but lacks in language

development. She is very attached to her grandmother but displays a lack of affection for her

mother whenever she is around. Sophia’s grandmother believes that Sophia’s mother is not

attentive to her needs. The family has moved residence multiple times, and limited financial

resources are a constant source of stress.

Sophia’s cognitive development, especially with respect to language skills, is

comparatively slower than that of most children of her age. Sophia has not yet started using two-

word phrases and still interacts using gestures. She also finds it difficult to fall asleep if there is

no one around. She clearly has attachment-related issues when it comes to her mother. Sophia’s

situation can be understood by deducing the causes of the change in her behavior using

Ainsworth’s attachment theory. This theory will help explain Sophia’s behavior with respect to

her development as a child and her issues with attachment. It will also explain the relevance of

Sophia’s environment to her development.

Application of Lifespan Development Theory

In Sophia’s case, there is a clear lack of an emotional bond between her and her mother.

The issue of emotional bond can be understood by applying Ainsworth’s attachment theory.

According to Bowlby’s attachment theory, a child is considered attached to someone when the

child is able to seek proximity with a particular person, especially when he or she is ill, tired, or

frightened. This attachment is seen between caregivers, typically mothers, and an infant. The

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child forms this emotional bond through physical proximity when he or she is around 6 to 18

months of age (Ainsworth et al., 2015).

According to Ainsworth et al (2015), the first category of attachment is secure

attachment. Children are labeled secure when they receive a considerable amount of attention

from their mother. Secure children are social and display confidence in playing independently

after some time, even when a caregiver is not present. The second category of attachment is

avoidant attachment, where children display indifference to the presence or absence of their

mother or caregiver. The third category of attachment is ambivalent attachment, where children

protest and become anxious when separated from their mother but are disinterested in any

contact, and rather resist any contact, on the return of their mother (Ainsworth et al., 2015). An

ambivalent attachment can be noticed between Sophia and her mother as she cries when her

mother leaves for work but is disinterested in making any contact with her mother upon her

return. Sophia also displays some features of a secure attachment with her grandmother, in

whose presence she shows some interest in toilet training and feeding herself. Owing to the lack

of a secure attachment with her mother, Sophia has not been able to develop social skills or play

independently. It is probably because of a lack of attachment and a feeling of insecurity that she

has trouble falling asleep on her own (Singer, 2019).

In Sophia’s case, while she does show interest in feeding herself and in toilet training, her

response to new things in her environment is limited. Although her grandmother is very

affectionate toward Sophia, she does not play an active role in Sophia’s cognitive development

because she believes this is Sophia’s mother’s job. On the other hand, Sophia’s mother’s poor

financial status along with prolonged postpartum depression has led her to neglect Sophia during

crucial developmental stages (Bormanaki & Khoshhal, 2017). Sophia is also the child of a single

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parent, her mother, who spends most of her time working as she is the sole earning member of

the family. Sophia’s father is not involved in raising her. The lack of interaction with her primary

caregiver and the lack of a stable environment due to a constant change of residence has

suppressed Sophia’s ability to assimilate information at her pace and then accommodate it. Since

Sophia has not been able to assimilate the language she could have learned from either of her

caregivers, she has not been able to accommodate or apply language on her own. For her

language skills to grow, she needs to be able to assimilate new words and then accommodate

those words to new scenarios that she comes across.

Cultural and Personal Challenges to Development

One of the cultural challenges to Sophia’s development is her biracial lineage, as her

father is of African American descent and her mother is Mexican American. The other challenge

is the absence of her father during her formative stages to provide any background to the cultural

practices of one half of her lineage. The third challenge is that as a biracial child she belongs to

an ethnic minority in the society she lives. Sophia’s biracial lineage and the fact that she belongs

to an ethnic minority can make her and her family vulnerable to racism. Racism here may lead to

social exclusion, which in turn may cause anxiety, depression, and emotional and behavioral

difficulties in Sophia. A positive aspect of being in an ethnic minority is the development of an

ethnic-racial identity. While this can be fruitful in racial socialization and the development of

cultural knowledge and beliefs, in Sophia’s case, it would not be complete because of the

absence of a caregiver’s attention in her formative stages (Macedo et al., 2019).

Another challenge to Sophia’s development is the fact that she is being raised by a single

parent, who also belongs to a lower economic stratum of society. While racism may cause

exclusion, low economic standing deprives Sophia from availing necessary medical attention and

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enrollment into a decent educational institution. In families of low socioeconomic status, the

prioritization of resources is a challenge. Arranging means for basic survival holds a higher

priority to education and health, and in such cases mental health is of the least concern. In a

family of low socioeconomic status, where a single parent has no time to spare for a child’s

development, the child may feel materially deprived. In Sophia’s case, while she already is

deprived of parental bonding, she may also be deprived of material happiness, good education,

and attention to health. This may lead to Sophia developing aggressive behavior (Jensen et al.,

2017).

An extremely important aspect of cognitive development in a child is language

acquisition. A child’s use of language progresses from one-syllable cooing to babbling and then

to the use of gestures. After this phase, the child starts engaging in actual one-word

conversations in the language he or she has been exposed to since birth. At this stage, language

development requires parental intervention through conversations with the child that involve

statements that are broken down into small phrases or that are easy to remember such as “Give

baby ball” rather than “Give that ball to the baby.” The use of high-pitched voices, facial

expressions, simpler words, and actions helps a child assimilate words and accommodate them to

new situations (Lally & French, 2019). This explains why the absence of her mother has led to

the slower development of language in Sophia, even though her grandmother is around her.

The difficulties faced by Sophia may not be easily resolved if the bond she shares with

her mother is not strengthened and maintained, which may be missing due to her mother’s

prolonged postpartum depression. During pregnancy, mothers are hardwired to tend to any

emergency pertaining to their baby. After child delivery, mothers tend to lose out on the alertness

that they developed during pregnancy because of a high influx of oxytocin (Lally & French,

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2019) This causes stress and anxiety, which is why Sophia’s mother gets anxious and irritable

when she sees Sophia crying upon her return. Sophia is currently severely deprived of parental

attachment, which she tries to fulfill by clinging to her grandmother. Unattended postpartum

depression can cause a mother to neglect her child (Corrigan et al., 2015).

Intervention Using Lifespan Developmental Theories

The main concern with Sophia’s development is the lack of attachment between her and

her mother. The first step that needs to be taken for Sophia’s development is the betterment of

her relationship with her mother. Literature confirms that lack of support to mothers facing

postpartum depression can compromise childcare and attention (Corrigan et al., 2015). Sophia’s

mother must recognize that she still suffers from postpartum depression 2 years after delivery

along with added anxiety from being a single parent and the family’s sole earning member. For

the development of her child, Sophia’s mother must seek help from agencies that offer

emotional, instrumental, and informational support to mothers (Corrigan et al., 2015). This will

help her receive the tangible support she may require to assist in Sophia’s development. It will

also act as a system for providing the encouragement and awareness that she may need to build a

secure base of attachment with Sophia.

Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based approach to treating

children who face issues with behavioral development. It can be used to bridge the deficit in

Sophia’s behavior due to the lack of attachment with her caregivers. This approach is best suited

for children between the ages of 2 and 7 years. The PCIT approach involves two stages: child-

directed interaction and parent-directed interaction. A third party, usually a child psychologist,

helps the caregiver develop interaction skills to effectively interact with the child. The

psychologist also helps the caregiver with the development of the child’s communication skills.

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A review of literature has helped understand that PCIT has helped not only children but also

caregivers and parents by reducing parental stress and improving parenting skills. In Sophia’s

case, PCIT would be beneficial as it would improve her interaction with her caregivers, primarily

her mother, and encourage positive interaction in the family, which is essential for child

development (Lieneman et al., 2017).

Conclusion

The difficulties faced by Sophia are primarily due to the deprivation of attachment with

her mother and the lack of a conducive learning environment. Sophia is still in her formative

stages and does show signs of learning. Early intervention can help ensure that she catches up

with a normal pace of development. While Ainsworth’s pattern of attachment helped identify

Sophia’s problems, their application can also help narrow down the interventions that can resolve

her problems. There are many developmental theories that can help resolve Sophia’s

developmental issues, but the crux here is that every theory will highlight the contentious

relationship between Sophia, her mother, and her grandmother. Equal efforts from both her

mother and grandmother can contribute immensely to Sophia’s growth.

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References

Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. N. (2015). Patterns of attachment a

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

Bormanaki, H. B., & Khoshhal, Y. (2017). The role of equilibration in Piaget’s theory of

cognitive development and its implication for receptive skills: A theoretical study.

Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 8(5), 996-1005.

http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0805.22

Corrigan, C. P., Kwasky, A. N., & Groh, C. J. (2015). Social support, postpartum depression,

and professional assistance: A survey of mothers in the Midwestern United States. The

Journal of perinatal education, 24(1), 48–60. https://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1058-

1243.24.1.48

Jensen, S. K., Berens, A. E., & Nelson, C. A. (2017). Effects of poverty on interacting biological

systems underlying child development. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 1(3),

225–239. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(17)30024-x

Lally, M., & French, S. V. (2019). Lifespan development: A psychological perspective (2nd ed.).

http://dept.clcillinois.edu/psy/LifespanDevelopment

Lieneman, C. C., Brabson, L. A., Highlander, A., Wallace, N. M., & McNeil, C. B. (2017).

Parent-child interaction therapy: Current perspectives. Psychology Research and

Behavior Management, 10, 239–256. https://dx.doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S91200

Macedo, D. M., Smithers, L. G., Roberts, R. M., Haag, D. G., Paradies, Y., & Jamieson, L. M.

(2019). Does ethnic-racial identity modify the effects of racism on the social and

emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal Australian children? Plos One, 14(8).

https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220744

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Singer, E. (2019). Child-care and psychology of development.

https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315165813

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