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Case Study of a Child Age 16

Teri Wyckoff

College of Southern Nevada

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The student that was observed is a 16-year-old female in her Junior year of schooling,

who has been observed multiple times during the course of the past few weeks due to close

familial relations. First, the typical physical, emotional, cognitive, psychosocial, moral, and

behavioral developments of an average 16-year-old female will be identified. That will be

followed by the comparison of the subject that was observed against the norms that have been

established and defined by educational psychologists.

The typical physical development of a 16-year-old girl includes significant and large

changes. Students at this age become sexually active, as a result of arousal of the sex drive. This

arousal is the most significant glandular change (Snowman, 2013, pg. 65). In regards to the

physical development of the girl that was observed, her growth in regards to height and bodily

development was significantly stunted for many years when she was younger before hitting a

growth spurt in just the past year. This puts her at a current height of five-foot-one, and shorter

than most of her friends, though within a fairly typical range of height for many girls her age.

She also has not become sexually active, nor does she show any desire to do so. In conversation,

she has expressed her disdain for the young men her age, and does not have the patience to deal

with them even just as friends, much less engage in intercourse with them. She also maintains a

healthy workout regimen, in which she goes to the gym three times a week. In other areas of

development, which should be at the stage of completion by the age of sixteen in a woman, the

girl that was observed lines up quite accurately with the norm. Her continuance and dedication to

working out is a very healthy pursuit to encourage, and I do not think that any more

recommendations can be made for continued development, as the current course of development

is healthy.
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The development of emotions in adolescents this age includes many psychiatric

disorders, which include, but are not limited to: eating disorders, substance abuse, schizophrenia,

depression, and suicide. Depression, specifically, is more common in females, as 14.6% more

were reported as "feeling so sad and hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row

that they stopped engaging in some usual activities" (Snowman, 2013, pg. 67). Emotionally, the

female that was observed is fairly healthy, though she tends to internalize her emotions when she

deals with them. She has never dealt with unhealthy eating disorders; she channels her energy

into going to the gym three times a week and exhibits incredible self-control in what she eats.

She has never used or abused any kind of substance, drug related or alcoholic, she has never

displayed any kind of schizophrenic tendencies, and she has never struggled with suicidal

thoughts. Her practicality regarding the reality of suicide and its consequences keeps her from

even considering the possibility. However, depression runs in the family of this student, and this

is something with which she struggles. She has never been formally diagnosed with depression,

but her mother and sister also show intense signs of it; again, this girl's practicality and need for

purpose keeps her from dwelling on her depression. Because of the family history, and the

student's tendency to internalize things, even if she is dealing with issues, monitoring of her must

continue. However, as no major signs are showing themselves, at this point that is the only

recommendation that I have for her.

At this stage in cognitive development, it is normal for students to have the capability of

using formal and deeper thoughts, but not to necessarily use this newfound power of thought.

Their political thinking, too, begins to develop and they may begin to develop their own ideas

and recognize their ability to grasp political concepts. Snowman says that "political thinking

becomes more abstract, less authoritarian, and more knowledgeable" (2013, pg. 69), which
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essentially means that students are taking control of their own understanding. The girl that was

studied will able to vote in the next election, but she shows very little interest in any kind of

politics. She was not raised in a house where politics was much of a focus, but as she lives in a

house with three other members old enough to vote, it will very likely come up in the next few

years. Her capacity to use formal thought, however, is well beyond her years. The student shows

a wisdom that far surpasses others her age, and her ability to form her own thoughts on serious

matters is unlike most students her age. It was stated in a study done by the University of

Washinton that students "may lack information or self-assurance about personal skills and

abilities" (Using the Child Development Guide, 1993), but this student knows how to find

information she lacks, and how to apply it. Her own belief in her abilities is also rather high,

though not over-confident; it seems to be a good balance. In this case, my recommendation

would be to continue to challenge the student in her studies and thought-process, so that it can

improve.

Students' psychosocial development around the age of sixteen concerns the role of gender

in society and what they will do with their future; the identity statuses within society become

apparent to them at this age. Each student handles this differently, and with different ideas of

their future. Specifically, this is a time in which students' "skill development is accelerated to

prepare for college or job training programs...talents are perfected...social skills are honed and

relationships take on more of a serious nature" (The Ages & Stages Of Child Development,

2011). With the immense changes in our society regarding gender roles as well, there is even

more pressure on students to choose where they stand on this issue; and choosing wrong,

according to society's standards, can be damaging to their psychosocial development. This

particular stage of an adolescent's life is one of intense pressure that can lead to the possibility of
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stunted emotional development and result in the harmful tendencies mentioned in the paragraphs

above. The young lady whom has been observed knows who she is as a person, and she stands

up for what she knows. When she was younger, her hair was shorter, and because of her delayed

development many people mistook her for a boy, so her mother was worried about the possibility

of gender confusion, but she knows who she is as a female, and though she has low tolerance for

boys her age as mentioned above, she is attracted to men. She is still confused in regards to her

future and what she wants to do with it, because she has so many passions that she is unsure of

what she wants to pursue. Allowing her to continue in her pursuit of finding what she loves will

help her in determining where she wants to go in life. Her parents have made sure to provide her

with the tools she needs to pursue her passions.

Additionally, a 16-year-old, female student's normal moral development can be

summarized simply by saying that they become more independent in their decision making. They

recognize that they must make their own decisions about moral issues discussed in the world,

they must take a stance; they also tend to believe that one must "weigh all the factors and then try

to make the most appropriate decision in a given situation" (Snowman, 2013, pg. 42). Students at

this age most certainly put an emphasis on how one makes a decision, and off of what they base

that decision. They try to be fair and accommodating to all parties involved, in an effort to be

accepting and complacent, another ideal that society advertises as an important part of life. While

attempting to make decisions based on what is fair is an admirable goal, what is fair is not

always what is right. That is where the real challenges for young adults lie. Additionally, in an

article put out by the University of Washington, it is added that students can become "confused

and disappointed about discrepancies between stated values and actual behaviors of family and

friends" (Using the Child Development Guide, 1993). So, while students are attempting to
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accommodate others and hold to their word, the lack of such ideals on the part of others' can

confuse students. I personally believe that this can also damage a relationship with a student; the

concept of saying one thing and doing another can truly damage a relationship with anyone, but

students are still confused as to what is right and wrong, so exhibiting these behaviors only

confuses them more. This student is a Christian and has a fairly decent idea of what is right and

what is wrong based on what the Bible says, her observance of her older sister's decisions has

also allowed her to form ideas regarding what is right and what is wrong. My recommendation

would be that this student continues to be encouraged in her faith, as it is important and relevant

to her lifestyle, and that the adults who have influence in her life continue to be consistent in

their words and follow-through. Also, before someone engages with any student, they should be

clear on what their own values are so that they may accurately express them to the student,

because many students of this age, and particularly the one that I have observed, are incredibly

literal.

Finally, the behavioral norms of female sixteen-year-olds, and really all adolescents ages

13 years and up, to begin to challenge authority figures in their life. It is suggested to avoid

situations of conflict with students of this age, otherwise the student "may feel embarrassed,

inadequate, resentful, and bitter as a result" (Adolescent development, 2017). According to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, some effective ways of preventing

situations where there could be conflictual situations include "responding to children in a

predictable way...showing warmth and sensitivity...having routines and household rules...sharing

books and talking with children...supporting health and safety...[and] using appropriate discipline

without harshness" (Child Development, 2017). This is one area where the subject of my

observation matches perfectly with the norm. She is incredibly stubborn, hard-headed, and
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proud, and though she attempts to see things from others' perspectives, those attempts do not

usually come until after she has reacted in frustration when met with conflict. As stated above,

this behavior is true of many students this age, both male and female, and while pride seems to

be more prevalent in males, the female that was observed has a high sense of pride. I propose

that the student be allowed to communicate more freely, and encouraged to deal with problems

in open communications, so that perhaps her freedom of expression will then allow her to see

others' rights to the same freedom; the student engages too privately within herself and she has

an incredibly high opinion of herself as well.

My observations have led me to the conclusion that while this student is atypical in many

of the areas of development, or even simply parts of development, she is also very healthy in her

development in other areas. She is right on track with students her own age, and those small

stints in her development are not detrimental to her health in any of the areas. Her physical,

emotional, cognitive, psychosocial, moral, and behavioral developments are either on the same

level with others, or advanced in many ways, none of them presenting unhealthy or problematic

signs.
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References

Adolescent development. (2017, October 03). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002003.htm

Child Development. (2017, February 15). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R. (2013). ED PSYCH. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage

Learning.

The Ages & Stages Of Child Development. (2011, September 25). Retrieved November 03,

2017, from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages/#.Wf08v7pFzIV

Using the Child Development Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from

http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.htm