EDUC 121-Child and Adolescent Development MyVirtualChild Report Name: An ela !

utchinson Date: "eptem#er 1$% 2&1'

MyVirtualChild- Report 1()n*ant-+oddler,

-eneral uidelines: Answer to the questions below for your report. Describe the childs behavior and provide 1 or 2 supporting examples. In addition wherever possible you should relate your descriptions and explanations of the childs behavior to the concepts theories and research covered in class or in the boo!. "ry to base your arguments on research studies and conclusions or a theory that seems well supported by the research in the field. "he questions are below with scoring criteria following the questions. 1. #ow does your babys eating sleeping and motor development compare to the typical developmental patterns in the first $ months% &2' My child.s developmental patterns are normal *or her a e/ "he is cra0lin % sittin up% and standin up on her o0n/ +he doctor stated that she di ests her *ood 0ell so she recommended a variety o* ta#le *oods *or her/ 2. #ow is your childs attachment relationship to you or your partner &whoever is the mother' developing% (hat is happening at the )*month and +*month periods that might affect attachment security according to ,owlby and Ainsworth and various research studies% &2 points' "he is shy and cautious in ne0 situations/ "he 0ill only e1plore 0hen ) am present% #ut rarely 0arms-up to stran e situations or people/ "he is *airly typical in her emotional reactions *or her a e/ "he tends to sho0 si ns o* separation an1iety% *ear o* stran ers% and cries 0hen she is hurt or upset/ 2o0l#y and Ains0orth 0or3ed alon side on another to *orm the di**erent sta es o* the attachment theory/ +he te1t#oo3 states that% 4Accordin to 2o0l#y% children 0ho *orm an attachment-that is% an endurin social-emotional relationship to an adult5 (6eil% 2&12% p/''1,/ 2o0l#y and Ains0orth su ests that at '-month old% a child should #e *ormin attachments 0ith their primary care iver and sho0in si ns o* separation and stran er an1iety 0hen that care iver is a#sent (!urst,/ +his sta e is 3no0n as Attachment in the making/ +his is a typical response o* an in*ant at the '-month old sta e/ 2y 7-months the in*ant trusts the primary care iver(s, and 3no0s that they 0ill provide *or their needs% althou h they still sho0 si ns o* separation an1iety/ +his sta e is 3no0n as the true attachment stage% at this point the in*ant clearly 3no0s the primary individuals they can connect 0ith 0ithout sho0in *ear and an1iety (6eil% 2&12% p/''2,/ ). Describe and give examples of changes in your childs exploratory or problem solving behavior from + through 1+ months and categori-e them according to .iagetian and information processing theories. &/ points'

) did an o#8ect permanence test on her at 7-months% 0hich sho0ed that she 0as a#le to *ind the o#8ect as lon as she 0as not distracted or *or a lon time period/ 9hen the o#8ect 0as moved *rom the *irst location to a second location% she 0ould #ecome con*used then eventually *or et a#out it/ "he really en8oyed playin the ame/ :ia et called this e1perience 4A not 2 error%5 0here the in*ant reaches *or the *irst location (A, and not the second (2, (6eil% 2&12% p/ 1;<,/ +he second o#8ect permanence test 0as per*ormed at 17-months% 0hich sho0ed that she had made an improvement/ +his time she 0as a#le to *ind the o#8ect a*ter a lon er delay and 0hen it 0as s0itched she did not have pro#lems li3e she did earlier on/ "he cannot even #e tric3ed and still en8oys playin the ame/ Accordin to :ia et% most in*ants do not have a *ull understandin o* o#8ect permanence until they are around 17-months old (6eil% 2&12% p/ 1;<,/ My child seems to #e more advanced in pro#lem solvin #ehaviors *or her a e/ /. Analy-e your babys temperament in more detail at 1$ months than you did at + months. #ow would you describe your baby in terms of the five aspects of temperament utili-ed by the 0irtual 1hild program &activity sociability emotionality aggressiveness vs. cooperativeness and self* control'. #as your childs temperament been stable over the first 1+ months% A blurb defining and providing examples of the five aspects of temperament is provided at 12 months in the program but you should see! out further explanations of temperament from your textboo!. 2xplain how the concept of goodness of fit &also discussed in the blurb on infant temperament' applies to your interactions with your child. &/ points' Activity o )t 0as recommended that my child receive more time playin outdoors on play yms and activities 0here she is active/ "ocia#ility o My child played relatively 0ell 0ith other child% once she 0armed up to them/ +he specialist *elt she 0as ready *or the preschool settin / Emotionality o )t 0as noted that sometimes she is hard to soothe% insecure% and clin y/ +he recommendations 0ere that my child stay 0ith one child care provider and slo0ly ad8ust to meetin ne0 adults/ A ressiveness vs/ Cooperativeness o -enerally% she 0as in a positive mood unless she did not et her 0ay then she #ecame irrita#le and=or impatient/ "el*-control o "he can concentrate on activities *or a 1&-1<minute time period 0hich is considered a e-appropriate *or 1$-months/ -oodness o* >it o My child 0as #elo0 the normal a e ran e *or #uildin thin s similar to models presented to her/ "he seems to have di**iculty 0ith spatial s3ills% colorin inside the lines and copyin shapes/ A corrective approach 0ould to ma3e availa#le to her the materials she need to stren then these s3ills/ !er communication 0as in the 17-1$ month ran e% 0hich is avera e/ )t 0as

recommended that more pro#in ?uestions #e as3ed o* her to help develop her communication s3ills/ !eredity and environment are contri#utin *actors *or the development o* an in*ant.s temperament (6eil% 2&12% p/ '2<,/ My child.s temperament has stayed pretty consistent throu hout her developmental sta es o* ro0th/ "ince in*ancy% she has #een di**icult at time to calm 0hen she is upset/ "he has a tendency to #e shy and 0ithdra0n *rom stran ers/ >or the most part% her temperament is predominantly normal *or an in*ant o* her a e/ 3. Is your child delayed or advanced in any area of development according to the 1$*month developmental examiners report% ,ased on what you have studied do you thin! this is most li!ely a result of specific biological or environmental factors% &2 points' )n most areas% my child 0as in the avera e ran e/ !er developmental and temperament seems *airly typical *or her a e/ "he is pro ressin in all areas #ut spatial s3ills/ "he has trou#le imitatin a model o* a #uildin that 0as provided/ "he also had trou#le copyin shapes and colorin inside the lines/ ) #elieve that this could #e a com#ination o* #oth #iolo ical and environmental *actors/ 2iolo ically% this could #e a contri#utin *actor to an issue that is inherited *rom a parent% such as a learnin disa#ility/ +he *act that ) concentrated more on readin and communication than ) did 0ith hands-on activities could #e the main contri#utin *actor causin it to #e an environmental *actor/ 4. Describe your childs communication and language development in the first )5 months. Is your child developing at a typical or atypical rate% &2 points' My child.s scores on lan ua e development 0ere in the avera e ran e/ !er speech is sho0in more consistent use 0hen conversin 0ith others/ Readin more #oo3s% tal3in a#out thin s that interest her and oin on outin 0as some recommendations #y the specialist/ @ther0ise% there seems to #e no real concern in this area/ 6. #ow is your child progressing on typical toddler issues such as learning household rules learning to follow routines listening to you developing self*control and learning to get along with other children% &2 points' "he tries to *ollo0 the rules% #ut sometimes needs step-#y-step instructions% support% and uidance/ 2ein pleasin to adults seems to #e a oal o* hers/ Aearnin to *ollo0 a routine 0as *airly easy% until she #e an preschool/ +hen her routine 0as reconstructed and it too3 her some time to accept the chan es/ "he does not have an issue listenin to meB her pro#lem is ettin the directions con*used so she is una#le to *ollo0 throu h/ :otty trainin 0as a tas3 in the #e innin / )* she had an accident she 0ould et really em#arrassed 0hich caused her some stress/ At the end o* the '&-months she 0as completely potty trained and con*ident/ "he 0as a little uncertain a#out roup play #ut a*ter a *e0 moments o* 0atchin other children play% she #e an to interact 0ith the other children/ -roup play normally re?uires a 0arm-up period *or her #e*ore she #ecomes com*orta#le enou h to 8oin in/ +. Analy-e your own parenting philosophy and practices. (hat principles from learning or social learning theory ,owlby Ainsworth .iaget 0ygots!y information processing theory neuroscience or other theories do you appear to have relied on in ma!ing your parenting choices

or interpreting your childs behavior% Include three principles and identify one or more theorists who espoused these principles in your answer. &/ points' +he parentin style that most *its my #elie*s a#out parentin is authoritative parentin / Children should #e a#le to e1plore 0ith a set o* responsi#ilities% rules% and #oundaries% 0hile sho0in them love and compassion/ My three principles are sho0in praise and a**ection% #ein involved% and practice positive discipline/ :rinciple C1 D :raise and A**ection 9hen a child does a ood 8o# or learns somethin ne0% it is al0ays essential to ac3no0led e that accomplishment/ +his 0ill prove to them that their parents are interested in 0hat they do and accomplish/ +he child 0ill try to continue to please their parents so they are ettin the a**ection that they are see3in / 2y praisin them% it is also sho0in love and a**ection/ :rinciple C2-2ein )nvolved 2ein involved in their lives is another critical point that needs addressed/ +he more a parent is active in their child.s li*e the less li3ely that improper #ehavioral issues 0ill arise/ Allo0 the child to voice their opinions a#out *amily outin sB listenin to 0hat they say is important/ +he more a child is involved in ma3in decisions a#out 0hat is oin on 0ithin the *amily% the more li3ely they 0ill *eel accepted/ :rinciple C' D :ositive Discipline :racticin positive discipline is also a must 0hen raisin a child/ +he later that undesira#le #ehavior is le*t unattended could cause some serious #ehavioral issues in li*e/ A ood *oundation o* discipline is a must *or children #e*ore they reach school-a e/ Eri3 Eri3son 0as an in*luence on choosin my main principles o* parentin / +he sta es o* Eri3son.s psychosocial development 0ould suit :rinciples C1 and C2/ :rinciple C1 is one o* the essential aspects that relate to his *irst sta e trust v/ mistrust/ >or a child to #e a#le to trust someone% they need to #e sho0n love and a#le to love in return/ )n principle C2% it displays the second sta e autonomy v/ shame and dou#t/ Children should #e encoura ed to help in ma3in decisions and comin up 0ith ideas on their o0n/ All o* Eri3son.s sta es seem to #e a #ase structure *or most o* a child.s developmental li*e/ :rinciple C' is mostly in*luenced #y 2/ >/ "3inner.s use o* positive and ne ative rein*orcements/ ) #elieve this is a positive 0ay to help correct an inappropriate #ehavior 0ithout havin to physically or ver#ally a#use a child/ 2y usin these styles o* rein*orces% a parent must #e consistent in ho0 the rein*orcement are delivered/ Children are more apt to imitate their parent.s #ehaviors% so the #est 0ay to sho0 a child ho0 to properly #ehave is #y modelin correct #ehavior/ Re*erences #urst 7. &n.d.'. "he 8trange 8ituation "est9 Ainsworth:s Attachment "heory for Infants. ;etrieved 8eptember $ 251) from http9<<education*portal.com<academy<lesson<the* strange*situation*test*ainsworths*attachment*theory*for*infants.html =ail ;. &2512'. 1hildren and their development &4th ed.'. 8addle ;iver >ew ?ersey9 .earson.

EDUC 121-Child and Adolescent Development MyVirtualChild Report Name: An ela !utchinson Date: @cto#er 1&% 2&1'

MyVirtualChild- Report 2-Early Childhood (A e '-E,

1. (hat activities and experiences have you and your child engaged in that might be promoting healthy behavioral practices and an interest in physical activity% ;efer to the boo! and lecture where needed. &2 points' 6eepin her on a schedule is one 0ay that ) have promoted healthy #ehavior practices/ A consistent schedule 0ill ive a child more structure and sta#ility as they develop/ Another 3ey to healthy #ehavior is settin rules *or the child to *ollo0/ My child *ollo0s the rules most o* the time% althou h sometimes she needs to #e reminded/ Remindin a child a#out appropriate #ehavior is also a 3ey *actor *or #ehavior/ 2y allo0in a child to evade proper #ehavior at an early a e could #e detrimental to their *uture #ehavior/ "ome o* the activities that ) en a ed in 0ith my child include playin mini-soccer% mini#as3et#all% catch% and ta3in trips to the par3% museums% and the Foo/ "he does not et overly e1cited 0hen participatin in physical activities/ )t 0as recommend en a in her in more physical activities% so 0e have #een spendin more time at the par3 to promote more physical activity/ 2. Describe the development of your childs language and cognitive s!ills and discuss how these might be affecting his or her interactions with you @ your responses. ;efer to the text or lecture for descriptions and explanations of each area of s!ill. &2 points' My child scored a#out avera e in lan ua e s3ills/ "he ives #road outlines o* pictures 0ith interestin details/ "he also spea3s in sentences that are appropriate *or her a e and she is interested and participates in educational pro rams/ "pea3in is proper sentences to children can allo0 them to *orm an ade?uate voca#ulary/ "he is #elo0 avera e in understandin ?uantitative relationships (more=less% lon er=shorter,% countin s3ills% and pro#lem solvin reasonin tas3s/ "he is also #elo0 avera e in copyin desi ns% solvin puFFles% and #uildin #loc3 to0ers/ +hese seem to #e her 0ea3 points% and it 0as recommended to 3eep promotin activities that 0ill stren then her s3ills in the mentioned areas/ :ia et may say that this could #e related to the child.s e ocentrism% a di**iculty in seein the 0orld *rom another.s vie0point (6ail% 2&12% p/1;<,/ ) spend more time en a in her in readin and lan ua e s3ills more so than physical activities/ "ince these s3ills 0ere not promoted at an early a e% she is la in #ehind in those areas o* academic pro ress/ A child is more than li3ely to en a e themselves in somethin that they are accustomed to doin rather than somethin they have not e1perienced or had little e1perience in/ !er environment may have contri#uted to her *allin #ehind these co nitive s3ills/ ). #ow well is your child adapting to social situations in the home and outside the home% Does your child have any behavior or emotional problems at this point% (hy do you thin! these

problems are occurring and what are you doing about them% ;efer to the text or lecture as needed. &2 points' !er social situation at home sho0s no si n o* o#stacles/ @n the other hand% my child.s outside social situation is a little more challen ed/ "he is hesitant 0hen interactin 0ith other children and ta3es her time to 0arm-up/ "he is not sho0in any si ns o* inappropriate #ehavior% #ut 0hen she does have an episode she is reminded o* appropriate #ehavior and re0arded i* she ma3es ood choices 0ith her actions/ "he is cooperative% *ollo0s rules% #ut is shy in social situations/ "he is shy and #ecomes clin y i* she is under pressure/ "i ns sho0 that she is #ecomin a *ollo0er 0hen she is around her peers/ +hese issues pro#a#ly are occurrin #ecause o* the lac3 o* social interaction durin the latter part o* her in*ant sta e/ "he is no0 attendin preschool and has had several at-home play dates/ )nterrelatin 0ith other children has helped her ma3e pro ress 0ith social s3ills/ /. #ow would you characteri-e your parenting style &e.g. authoritative authoritarian permissive or variations or combinations of these styles'% ;efer to the boo! or lecture descriptions to Austify your classification. #ow has your specific parenting techniques changed since infancy% &2 points' ) 0ould characteriFe my parentin style as authoritative/ Children should 3no0 that there are rules that should #e *ollo0ed% they have responsi#ilities% and that even thou h they ma3e mista3es that they are still loved/ +he te1t#oo3 states that authoritative parentin 4com#ines a *air de ree o* parental control 0ith 0armth and responsivity to children5 (6ail% 2&12% p/E'7,/ My parentin techni?ues have not chan ed durin the development o* my child/ Encoura in discussion 0ith a child is a su**icient 0ay to help them process in*ormation in a satis*actory level/ 3. Describe three specific examples of changes in your childs behavior at age / that seem to stem from growth in cognitive and language ability since the period of infancy &e.g. improvements in symbolic thin!ing reasoning !nowledge of the world theory of mind'. ;efer to the boo! or lecture. &/ points' +hree chan es that have stemmed *rom ro0th in co nitive and lan ua e a#ility include e1tra e1posure to educational pro rams% physical activities% and readin to her more *re?uently/ !er lan ua e a#ility is her stron est point and she 0as 0ell prepared in literacy *or 3inder arten/ "he is a#le to identi*y the ma8ority o* the alpha#et% can 0rite her name% and 0as a#le to retell stories/ !er math s3ills seem to still #e some0hat o* an issue/ Computer and countin ames 0ere recommended to help her stren then these s3ills/ >lashcards and rhymin #oo3s 0ere used to enhance her lan ua e s3ills/ Additional play dates% 0ith multiple children% 0ere scheduled to help her 0ith her social s3ills in roup settin s/ "he has #een e1posed to more real-li*e situations% such pourin 8uice and pro#lem solvin challen es 0ith assistance/ ) have #een encoura in her to 0or3 out pro#lems on her o0n #e*ore as3in *or help/ 4. #ow would you characteri-e your childs personality% (ould you say that your child is primarily over controlled under controlled or resilient% 8upport your argument. ;ecall that the 0irtual 1hilds behavior at age ) and / is designed to resemble one of three personality types. "he personality types combine some of the temperamental traits with which you are already familiar. "he over controlled category refers to a child who is cooperative and follows the rules

but is shy in social situations and anxious and clingy under pressure. "he under controlled category refers to a child who is uncooperative or even aggressive does not follow the rules may or may not be shy in social situations and has a tendency to become distracted and overly emotional particularly when under stress. "he resilient category refers to a child who is cooperative and follows the rules is friendly non*aggressive and outgoing able to focus on tas!s without being too distracted has good regulation of his or her emotions and is adaptable to new situations. ;efer to the course reader and lecture. &2 points' "he is shy in social situations% yet she *ollo0s the rules and is cooperative the ma8ority o* the time/ 9hen she is under pressure she ets an1ious and clin s to *amiliar adults/ +hese are si ns o* an over-controlled child/ "he tends to 0ant to please the adults that are active in her li*e% #ut she is reluctant in roup situations/ 6. Boo! for evidence of continuity as well as discontinuity in your childs behavior from infancy through early childhood. Cive an example of an aspect of ability or personality that has remained fairly stable. Cive an example of an aspect of ability or personality that has been unstable. (hy do you thin! change occurred in one area and not the other% ;efer to the boo! or lecture with regard to reasons for continuity or discontinuity. &/ points' +he continuity in her a#ility 0ould #e the consistent e1posure to readin and literature/ 2oth 0ere introduced at in*ancy and her a#ilities in this area e1cel all o* the other development s3ills criteria *or her a e/ "ince in*ancy% timidity has #een her main personality trait/ "he is shy% has a *ear o* stran ers% and ets an1ious in pressured situations/ +his has had an e**ect on her social a#ility/ +he discontinuity is her a#ility 0ould #e her a#ility to deal 0ith social interactions/ +hrou hout her in*ancy and early toddler years% she had di**iculty in social settin s and 0ith stran ers/ ) #e an introducin her to ne0 pu#lic settin s and havin more social interactions at home 0ith her *riends *rom school/ At one point% she 0as sho0in si ns o* #ein a 4*ollo0er5 0hen she interacted 0ith her *riends/ 2y the end o* 3inder arten% her social s3ill made a positive improvement #ut still re?uires more encoura ement/ "ince she started preschool% the personality trait that has sho0n discontinuity has #een her honesty/ +he thin s that she has lied a#out are not ma8or issues per se% #ut the *act that she is lyin is the hot topic/ Appropriate discipline 0as administered and has not #een an issue since/ +he e1amples provided *or continuity did not chan e #ecause ) 0as continuously introducin ne0 0ords and #oo3s to her/ 9hen ) tal3ed to her ) used small% appropriate sentences to help her improve in her lan ua e s3ills/ !er shyness is pro#a#ly contri#uted to the lac3 o* social interactions 0hen she 0as an in*ant and it 8ust pro ressed into her toddler years/ )n the e1amples *or discontinuity% they have chan ed mainly #ecause o* her #e innin preschool/ Althou h% she is still shy there has #een some improvement 0ith her colla#oration 0ith other children/ As mentioned% additional play dates may have contri#uted as 0ell/ +. Dour 0irtual child is growing up basically in an average American cultural setting. ,ased on what you have learned from the course how specifically might your childs behavior be different if she was raised in a different culture% Alternatively if you are familiar with a different culture &e.g. you or your parents were raised in a country outside America with a very different culture' you can describe how your parenting or your childs behavior might be different within that cultural setting. As a third option describe and give examples of how your parenting style or

any other aspect of your parenting has been influenced by your cultural bac!ground or other experiences. Describe the rationale for your claim and the source of your information &boo! or lecture or your own experience growing up at least partially within a particular culture'. &/ points' +he cultural environment 0ould have an e**ect on my child i* she 0as raised in a di**erent culture/ Each culture is di**erent in ho0 they raise and discipline their children/ )n some counties% the children #e in to 0or3 at a very youn a e and do not receive much schoolin / )* my child 0as raised in a third-0orld country% she may have #een raised 0ere her role in society is to learn ho0 to ma3e a home *or her *uture *amily/ +here are several countries 0ere the 0omen= irls are to #e at home ta3in care o* the homestead/ +his 0ould de*initely have an impact on an individual.s education and ho0 the child is raised in the home/ Most o* the time% discipline in other countries in much more severe than 0hat is 4allo0ed5 in the United "tates/ Even some o* the di**erent cultures that have immi rated to the U/"/ practice discipline that most American 0ould say are unethical and harsh/ Discipline has an e**ect on ho0 a child learns as 0ell/ "ome children are severely #eaten to the point that they are either a*raid o* others or they #ecome a ressive/ )n the area 0here ) re0 up% 0e did not have a lot o* di**erent cultural #ac3 rounds/ +he Amish community 0as the closet cultural di**erence that ) have come in contact 0ith *or a lon period o* time/ +he children in an Amish community are 0ell-mannered (not allo0ed to tal3 to stran ers% unless permission is iven,% e1pected to contri#ute% practice reli ion% and only attend school to the ei hth rade/ >or the most part% these children are tau ht ho0 to survive and raise *amilies% more so than ho0 to #ecome success*ul in li*e/ +he U/"/ has more *reedoms than most countries% so *or a irl to #e raised in another country 0ould cause her #ehavior to #e di**erent than ho0 my dau hter 0as raised/ ) 0ould presume that one o* the #ehavior aspects 0ould include shyness% especially in pu#lic situations/ )n some countries% 0omen= irls are not even allo0ed to sho0 any part o* their #ody% includin their *ace% in pu#lic/ +his 0ould #e a #ehavior that 0ould #e a cause *rom the environment and cultural #ac3 rounds/ Re*erences =ail ;. &2512'. 1hildren and their development &4th ed.'. 8addle ;iver >ew ?ersey9 .earson.

EDUC 121-Child and Adolescent Development MyVirtualChild Report Name: An ela !utchinson Date: Novem#er ;% 2&1'

MyVirtualChild-Middle Childhood (A e G-11,-Report '

1. ,ased on the evidence from age 4 and + years how well is your child adapting to the school social environment and to the peer group% "o what extent does this adaptation seem to depend on personality characteristics that are fairly stable in your child and to what extent does your child seem to be developing novel behavior to cope with these new situations% ;efer to the textboo! for particular points about the responses of children in this age group to the peer group and the school environment. &2 points' My child seems to doin #etter in the school social environment% althou h% sometimes she still sho0s an1iety in stress*ul situations/ "he is a shy and ?uiet child% and ) #elieve that this plays an important role in her personality/ "hyness has #een the sta#le point o* her personality throu hout her childhood/ "he has #een tryin ne0 sports and plays 0ith the nei h#orhood 3ids more to help promote social s3ills/ Most o* her *riends are more on the tom#oyish sideB no0% she is startin to *ollo0 that trend/ Accordin to the te1t#oo3% *riendships #ecome more comple1 #et0een a es 7-11 (6ail% 2&12% p/ E;E,/ 2. #ow smart is your child and in what areas% ;efer to the summary of multiple intelligences that appeared at age 4 and to sections of your textboo! and the course reader article on multiple intelligences. Eind specific evidence regarding your child:s verbal logical mathematical spatial musical and bodily*!inesthetic intelligence from your observations of your own child as well as the psychologist:s report at age + years 11 months and explain how it ties in to the your course reading material. &2 points' My child.s score ran ed #et0een avera e to a#ove avera e ran e in 0ord readin % readin *luency% phonolo ical a0areness% and spellin / @n the other hand% her scores on the math concepts and math application pro#lems 0ere #elo0 avera e% and the math computation score 0as sli htly #elo0 avera e/ !er scores on tests o* visual-spatial a#ility (spatial rotation% copyin o* desi ns, 0ere in the avera e ran e/ )t is important to 3no0 0hat the child.s pro*ile o* intelli ence is% so that instruction can #e eared to her stren ths (6ail% 2&12% p/2<&,/ ). Describe some examples of your child:s behavior or thin!ing that you thin! are due to typical American gender role sociali-ation and explain why you thin! so referring to the text and lectures regarding gender roles and sex differences in behavior. 8everal examples can be found in the 0irtual 1hild program at ages 4 and +. #ow closely does your attitude toward gender roles correspond to typical American attitudes and if there is a discrepancy to what do you attribute this &e.g. cultural bac!ground attitudes of your own parents etc.'% &2 points' My child does not seem to #e a**ected #y ender roll chan es/ ) have encoura ed her to 3eep an open mind a#out di**erent 8o#s/ E1amples include males that #ecome nurses% coo3s% or teachers% 0hile *emale roles can also include #ecomin a *ire*i hter% a construction 0or3er% or servin in the armed *orces/ )n today.s society% children are told they can #e anythin they 0ant to #e/ )* a child has an interest in a certain occupation then his=her ender should not hold him=her #ac3/ !er ender composition o* play varies more

0ith nei h#orhood 3ids than it does at school/ +he ender roles o* children at school seem to #e di**erentB the #oys play 0ith #oys and the irls play 0ith irls/ )n the nei h#orhood% the children play to ether re ardless o* ender/ "ome children are tau ht that men and 0omen have speci*ic roles in our societyB this may #e 0hat is causin the inappropriate relations #et0een the #oys and irls on the play round/ /. Describe changes in your childs academic s!ills between ages 4 and 15 and assess how well these s!ills are developing. If your child has any problems that affect school wor! such as dyslexia AD#D or low levels of verbal mathematical<scientific or spatial ability. Describe these problems and explain what you and the teachers are doing about them. "he 3th grade report card will be useful for this but you should also incorporate your own observations. If your child doesnt have any academic difficulties describe what you are doing any way to help your child do well in math<science and literacy &reading writing and communicating'. &/ points' +he ma8or academic s3ill that chan ed 0as in the areas o* mathematical pro#lem solvin % understandin o* data% num#er concepts% raphical applications% and arithmetic computation/ 2e*ore% she 0as #elo0 rade level in this area% no0 she is considered appropriate *or her rade level/ "he demonstrates stren ths in the areas o* spea3in and listenin and in content 3no0led e o* social studies and science% as 0ell/ 2y the end o* *i*th rade% she 0as per*ormin at her appropriate rade level in all academic areas/ "he 0as stru lin in math and science and did not sho0 any interest in either su#8ect/ +o help her 0ith these s3ills% a tutor 0as hired in addition to usin computer ames and *lash cards to help her advance/ "he 0ent on numerous *ield tripsB one 0as on a science campout in the mountains and the second trip 0as to a #uildin site to learn a#out ho0 math can #e used in the real 0orld/ "he also 0or3ed on time mana ement s3ills to try and help her throu h some o* her an1iety a#out rades and ta3in tests/ 3. #ow well is your child adapting to social situations in the home and outside the home% Does your child have any behavior or emotional problems that have become apparent between 4 and 15 years of age% &some possibilities include internali-ing and externali-ing problems AD#D and obesity'. (hy do you thin! these problems are occurring and what are you doing about them% &2 points' "he is doin #etter in social situations/ At school% she 0or3s cooperatively in roups% respects ri hts and property o* others% and demonstrates appropriate peer social interaction/ Althou h% she ets upset in stress*ul situations inside or outside the classroom% and 0ill 0ithdra0 *rom activities or #ecome an1ious or moody% she usually ets #etter #y the end o* the day/ At home% she 0ants to o on 0ee3ends and han out 0ith her *riends/ "he also li3es to play 0hi**le #all or #as3et#all 0ith the nei h#orhood #oys and one or t0o other irl-*riends/ ) #elieve the chan es are due to her #ein more active in the community% sports% and music/ 4. #as your parenting changed since the preschool period and if so why do you thin! it has changed and what effect might this have on your child% ;efer to your textboo! or lecture notes for evidence on typical changes in parenting that occur in middle childhood. &2 points' ) #elieved that ) have #een pretty consistent in raisin my child/ 2ut i* anythin has chan ed% it 0ould #e that ) have let her start to e1perience thin s more on her o0n/ 9hen she 0as a preschooler% she re?uired more physical help/ No0 that she is in the middle childhood sta e% she needs more mental help/ ) have encoura ed her to #roaden the topics that she reads and 0rite a#out/ "he has #ecome more sel*-re ulated% since ) have allo0ed her more autonomy 0ith choices and conse?uences/

6. #as your childs personality type changed since age /% Are there any personality traits and abilities on which your child closely resembles you% Describe two of them. Do you thin! this comes about because of a FgeneticG resemblance &i.e. your questionnaire responses' or some consistent practices youve followed in your parenting% Eor example if you and your child are both highly open to experience and you too! every available opportunity to explore new things with your child is it possible youve taught your child to be open to experience% &/ points' My child is still shy% #ut she is more ver#ally adept and 0itty% and en8oys 8o3es% stories and riddles/ ) 0ould say that the t0o traits or a#ilities that ) notice in my child that resem#le mine are her test and rade an1iety% and her 8oy o* readin and 0ritin / )n my opinion% these traits=a#ilities can stem *rom #oth enetic resem#lance and consistent practices% or a com#ination o* #oth/ ) also stru led in math and science durin my middle childhood sta e/ ) thin3 that #ecause ) stru led 0ith it that is 0hy ) ne lected to present it to my child% 0hich caused her to *all #ehind durin her early elementary years/ "ince she has #een more involved 0ith science outin s and has a #etter understandin o* ho0 math 0or3s in the community% she has pro ressed in #oth content areas/ +. In what ways have factors from 7icrosystems outside the family from the mesosystem and the exosystem possibly influenced your childs development at ages 4 + and 15% Eind four examples of such influences and ma!e clear why you believe they should be categori-ed at the particular level you chose within ,ronfenbrenners model. Eor example you could choose two microsystems &e.g. classroom and peer group' one mesosystem &parent*peer relations or parent teacher relations' and one exosystem &something affecting the parent directly but the child only indirectly through the parent. &/ points' +he microsystem consists o* the people and o#8ects in an individual.s immediate environment/ A mesosystem represents the *act that 0hat happens in one microsystem is li3ely to in*luence 0hat happens in others/ >inally% a e1osystem re*ers to social settin s that a person may not e1perience *irsthand #ut still in*luences development (6ail% 2&12% p/E'G,/ +he main in*luence o* the microsystem outside the *amily 0ould #e the individuals that helped develop my child.s sel*-esteem% personality and academic achievements in math and science/ Microsystems "he had a piano=music teacher that too3 an interest in her and helped to overcome some o* her *ears/ "he played in a couple o* recitals and #e an to learn ho0 to sin / "he had a teacher that she helped out a*ter school/ +his teacher really helped to #oost her personality/ Mesosystem 2ein involved 0ith her tutorin and *indin out 0hat her stren ths and 0ea3nesses are has #een a help to her academic achievements/ "he realiFes that she can do #ut she needs the in*ormation to come *rom more o* hands on activities% Exosystem !avin an ar ument 0ith my hus#and sometimes causes me to #e preoccupied in my thou hts/ +his has had an impact on my child.s *eelin o* sel*-0orth/ Ar uin is not a *re?uent event% #ut it still a**ects the children/

Re*erences =ail ;. &2512'. 1hildren and their development &4th ed.'. 8addle ;iver >ew ?ersey9 .earson.

EDUC 121-Child and Adolescent Development MyVirtualChild Report Name: An ela !utchinson Date: Decem#er <% 2&1'

MyVirtualChild Report E DAdolescence (12-17 years,

1. Describe any physical or behavioral signs of incipient puberty including changes in physical appearance behavior or emotions at ages 12 and 1/ years. &2 points' Most o* the time my child is cooperative% #ut she has #ecame more ar umentative durin the a es o* 12 to 1E years/ "he ar ues a#out thin s such as clothes% #edtime% and chores/ 2y the time she reached 1E% she also #e an to ar ue a#out cur*e0 and music choices% as 0ell/ "he is concerned a#out her #ody ima e and her 0ei ht and she o*ten complains that she is 4too *at/5 "ometimes% she can #e a little moody% and she e1cludes hersel* *rom the *amily/ 2. (hat activities and experiences at ages 12 and 1/ has your teen been involved in that might promote healthy behavioral practices physical fitness and s!ill in sports% &2 points' "he en8oys playin the clarinet in the #and% so she decided to ta3e piano lessons as 0ell/ "he also li3es to sin 0hile she is playin the piano/ !er moral principles are #e innin to mer e% as 0ell/ "he does not really seem to #e into sports% #ut she learned ho0 to play tennis 0hen her aunt came to visit/ ). Describe one change in your childs thin!ing &e.g. changes in humor abstract thin!ing or theory of mind' and discuss how this might be affecting his or her interactions with you and your responses and his or her interactions with peers. 1ite evidence from the course that these !inds of changes occur in early adolescence. &/ points' "he attended a vocal competition% in 0hich some o* the students stole some trin3ets *rom a store and 0ere cau ht/ +hese students 0ere suspended *rom the vocal roup/ My child a reed 0ith the punishment #ecause they did not live up to the e1pectations o* their parents% their coach% or their teammates/ +his action re*ers to 6ohl#er .s conventional level% sta e': interpersonal norms% 0hich states individuals should act accordin to others. e1pectations (6ail% 2&12% p/ '71,/ "he *eels that the students did not *ollo0 the norms o* society and should #e punished/ /. #ow important have your teens relationships with peers been to his<her social development emotional well*being and school achievement from 1/*1+ years of age% &2 points' My child is still shy% cautious% and 0atch*ul/ "he has #ecome more interested in #oys and has #een han in out 0ith her *riends more o*ten/ "he does not li3e standin out *rom her *riendsB she li3es to #lend in 0ith the cro0d/ ) *eel her social development has improved durin her teena e years/ "he has made several ood *riends and her emotional 0ell-#ein seems to #e *airly sta#le durin this period/ "he has improved in the areas 0here she 0as recently stru lin and is no0 advancin in all su#8ects areas/ 3. #ow has your teen adAusted at 1/*1+ years of age to typical adolescent issues such as ris!* ta!ing drugs alcohol and sexual interests and how have you responded to your teen% &2 points' @n one occasion% she came home smellin o* mari8uana/ "he insisted that she did not try it% so ) trusted her and ave her the #ene*it o* the dou#t and #elieved her/ ) e1plained to her

the dan ers and conse?uences o* dru use/ +here 0ere no *urther incidents involvin dru use/ +hen 0hen she 0as si1teen% she called me to come and pic3 her up #ecause she had #een drin3in / ) praised her *or callin me then discussed the issues 0ith under-a e drin3in and 0hat is involved/ Durin the same time period% she had #een datin a #oy 0hich lasted *or a 0hile/ +his caused concerns% so ) had a tal3 0ith her and tried to convince her that she should 0ait until they are more mature% and surer o* the relationship to en a e in se1/ !o0ever% 8ust in case% ) tal3 to her a#out sa*e se1% condoms% and #irth control% as 0ell/ 4. Hse the 6th @ $th grade report cards and your own observations to summari-e your childs academic s!ills at this point. (hat specific activities might promote some of these s!ills% (hat careers or courses of study might be best suited to your teens abilities and interests% &2 points' )n the ;th rade% she contri#uted to roup activities 0hile respectin the ri hts and #elon in s o* others% and she sho0s si ns o* a e appropriate social activities 0ith her peers/ As usual% her readin % spellin and 0ritin s3ills are stron / "he received the *ollo0in rades: AHs in En lish% social studies% and "panish% 2.s in #oth math and science/ "he participated in chorus and in the #and% and ot an A rade and a note o* appreciation *or her *ine e**orts *rom #oth the chorus teacher and the #and director/ "he is ?uite e**ective at time mana ement% and hi hly consistent in 0or3in independently in the classroom and on home0or3/ "he has almost no pro#lems completin assi nments and turnin them in on time/ )n the $th rade% she received ood citiFenship scores *rom all teachers *or *ollo0in class rules and cooperatin 0ith other students/ "he 0as a#le to ta3e honors "panish and En lish% and ot AHs and commendations *rom the teachers *or #oth/ "he also ot an A in 0orld eo raphy and an invitation *rom the eo raphy teacher to participate in the +ravel Clu# at the school/ !er other rades include: 2 in al e#ra )% a 2 in #iolo y and 2Hs in her *ine arts classes/ "he also received an A in her chorus class and a commendation *rom the #and director *or her participation in the school orchestra/ "he has consistently achieved academically in the lin uistics area 0hich most li3ely is 0hy she is e1celin in areas that are lin uistically-ver#ally #ased/ )n her earlier school years% she seemed to stru le 0ith math concepts 0hich may #e the cause o* the 2 in science% since science has mathematical concepts/ :lus% she has en8oyed choir and #and throu hout the ma8ority o* her childhood and teen years/ "ome o* the career or course o* study paths could include: musician% composer% teacher% or a 8ournalist/ 6. As the program ends what pathways does your child appear to be on in terms of physical cognitive social emotional and moral development% 1hoose three aspects of your child to discuss. "o what extent could you have predicted these pathways based on what you !new of your child:s earlier development% &/ points' "he seems to #e on trac3 0ith her physical development/ "ometimes she is not 3een on the idea o* #ein active% #ut normally she *inds somethin that she 0ill en8oy *or a 0hile/ "he 0as lad 0hen the school re?uired ym classes 0ere over% so ) encoura ed her to *ind somethin active to do/ "he *ound that she en8oys cyclin and occasionally ta3in 0al3s 0ith me/ )n the area o* co nitive development% she did e1ceptionally 0ell in the lin uistic area% #ut seemed to really have to apply hersel* in math and science/ Althou h% her rades 0ere ood in these classes% she had to 0or3 hard to earn the rades she received/ "ocially% she has al0ays #een reluctant to en a e in activities that she is not com*orta#le 0ith/ "he has made some pretty close *riends durin her secondary school years that she en8oys

han in out 0ith/ "he does not li3e to stand out in a cro0d and 0ould pre*er to #lend in/ @nce% she ot a haircut that she did not li3e% so she decided to 0ear a hat 0hen 0e 0ent out to dinner/ !er emotional and moral development has pro ressed ade?uately throu hout her ro0th and development/ Accordin to the te1t#oo3% she has en a ed in perspective ta3in % empathy% and moral reasonin (6ail% 2&12% p/ '77-'7$,/ "he has *eelin s o* responsi#ility% competence% and mood chan es that are normal 0ith the chan e in hormone levels durin the adolescent years/ +hree characteristics that my child displayed 0as academic success in the lin uistic-ver#al content su#8ects% a#ility to 0or3 0ell in roup settin s% and her musical talents/ ) could have predicted her a#ility in her success 0ith lin uistic a#ilities% #ecause ) encoura ed readin at an early a e/ !er #ein com*orta#le 0or3in in a roup settin is somethin that ) did not e1pect% #ecause she has al0ays #een shy% cautious% and timid around other people/ "he #e an to en8oy music early% #ut then she *ell a0ay *rom it/ Durin her adolescent years% she #e an to en8oy music and choir 0hich ) #elieved helped her 0ith some o* her *ears and an1iety/ ) pro#a#ly could have predicted this% #ut since she really did not stay 0ith it as lon as she did 0ith some sports% 0hich ) *i ured she 0ould have en8oyed% as 0ell/ +. Describe one specific way in which you thin! your parenting mattered for your childs development based on evidence from the course regarding the contributions of parents to child development. Describe one specific way in which your child developed that appeared to be influenced by factors outside your control such as genes random environmental events or the general influence of contemporary middle*class American culture. &/ points' ) #elieve that #ein 0arm 0ith an appropriate amount o* parental control allo0ed my child to respect the rules that 0ere set/ )* those rules 0ere not *ollo0ed% then there 0as a conse?uence that 0as placed on her/ Most o* the time% it 0as the loss o* a privile e/ A childparent relationship needs love% rules% and communication/ +here are *our di**erent parentin styles% *ashioned #y 2aumrind% listed in the te1t#oo3: authoritarian% authoritative% permissive% and uninvolved (6ail% 2&12% p/ E'7-E'$,/ Accordin to these styles% authoritative parentin is #est *or children the ma8ority o* the time/ A child needs #oth 0armth and parental control to success*ully achieve academically% socially% and emotionally/ @ne thin that my child developed that 0as out o* my control 0ould #e her social disposition/ +here 0ere many thin s that 0ere tried to help her overcome her shyness and lac3 o* social s3ills throu hout her development/ Even 0ith the play dates% doin a solo part in a concert% and doin 0ell 0ith roup assi nments% she seems to still stru le 0ith #ein shy and cautious/ +his still may #e somethin that she 0ill ro0 out o* as she matures into adulthood/ ) #elieve that this can #e a**ected #y enes% or somethin that happened earlier in her childhood/ ;eferences =ail ;. &2512'. 1hildren and their development &4th ed.'. 8addle ;iver >ew ?ersey9 .earson.