Marie is just in line with the norm throughout her gross motor skills. I expected her to be advanced as she was ahead of the norm throughout infancy, toddlerhood and pre-school. This indicates to me that her family may not be spending as much time with her as they had been when she was an infant, toddler and pre-schooler.
Throughout her fine motor skills Marie is advanced and ahead of the norm by at least 1 year. She could tie her shoe laces at the age of five and a typical school age child encounters this challenge at 6 years of age. Marie is 1 year ahead and the reason she is so advanced is probably because her mother showed her, as we know Marie’s mother was constantly at home minding Marie and her sister, therefore when Marie was being dressed her mother probably taught her how to tie her laces.
Intellectual development
Infant
When Marie was just 5 months old she made noise to voice displeasure or satisfaction. A typical infant reaches this milestone at 6 months. As we know there was conflict going on between Maries parents there was probably a lot of shouting going on and this could be why Marie met this milestone early. Marie could babble expressively as if talking at just 6 months. Marie is 1 month ahead of the norm and this shows me that Marie’s mother and father bonded with her a lot and talked to her a lot and this may be why she is advanced in this milestone. Marie’s visual exploration is quite advanced. At the age of 7 months, Marie could explore objects by touching, shaking, banging and mouthing, she is 1 month ahead of the norm as a typical infant does this at 8 months. When Marie’s mother was seeing to her twin her mother probably gave her a toy to amuse herself, she probably would have been figuring out how to play with it, therefore explored it by carrying out different tasks on it like shaking it and putting it in her mouth etc and this could be why she is so advanced.
Toddler
Marie enjoyed repeating simple rhymes at the age of 18 months and at 20 months a toddler should be able to do this. Marie is 2 months ahead of the norm and this is probably because her mother had a lot of time on her hands, therefore she amused both twins with rhymes and Marie picked up on these. This milestone that Marie reached also indicates to me that the family bonded with her a lot. Marie’s visual exploration was quite advanced when she was a toddler as I observed that she was ahead a majority of the norms. Marie could put a 6 piece puzzle together at 34 months and a typical toddler can do this at 36 months. Marie is two months ahead of this norm and I would say that her mother probably taught her how to do this or she observed it from other members of the family or her siblings helped her, however the case I can see her family bonded with her a lot. Marie could identify parts of the body at 34 months and again a typical toddler can do this at 36 months. Marie is advanced in this and this could be due to the family factor. As we know Marie’s mother never worked, she was most likely spending time with Marie and teaching her the body parts, for example; ‘Marie where’s your nose?’ and then Marie’s mother would point to her nose. Marie would acknowledge this information and remember it and this could be the possible reason why she is advanced in her cognitive development.
Pre-school
At the age of four Marie had basic understanding of number, size, weight, colours and textures. As we know Marie and her twin are the only children in the house and that Marie’s mother does not work. We can see that Marie’s mother really focused on Marie and probably taught her the numbers from 1 to 10 etc. Marie could name 6-8 colours and three shapes at the age of four and the norm of this milestone is 5 years old. Marie is 1 year advanced, this shows me that Marie’s mother spent a lot of time with Marie and probably played games with her that contained colours and shapes. Marie’s mother probably remarked on the different colours and shapes and Marie obtain this information and may be how she is advanced. Marie’s visual exploration as a pre-schooler was quite advanced. At the age of 4 Marie watched and copied actions of others, most children don’t observe this until at least 5 years of age. Marie is one year advanced and this indicates that Marie’s mother had her constantly socialising with other members of the family. Marie probably observed them and copied them, also the fact she had a twin Marie was used to observing and watching her and this encouraged her to copy what other children were doing.
School age
Marie’s intellectual development is quite advanced at school age. She was in line with most of the norms. At 6 years of age she became really interested in reading, this is probably because her mother has encouraged her to read because as we know Marie’s mother spend a lot of time with her, therefore her mother probably read books to her and this is how Marie became interested in reading. Also Marie could have been interesting from observing her mother reading newspapers etc and she wanted to be like her mother. Marie’s visual explorations were reaching the norm. At the age of 6 Marie could play dress up and imitate the roles of her mother. As Marie’s mother is the only role model in her house, Marie doesn’t have anyone else to look up to, therefore she probably imitated the mother by constantly observing her as her mother would be the only one she see’s daily, this could be why she is advanced also Marie’s mother could have got Marie toys to play with so that she could act out the roles of a mother etc.
Linguistic development
Infant
As an infant, Marie’s linguistic development was fairly advanced. At 2 months Marie smiled whenever a person came into her view. A typical infant doesn’t smile until they are at least 3-4 months, therefore Marie is advanced in this aspect. This indicates to me that Marie was constantly being looked up by her family. Both her parent were constantly in Marie’s view and she enjoyed being with them, this shows me that Marie has formed an attachment with both parents. Marie’s use of facial expressions and body language was quite advanced. At the age of 2 months she could repeat the same sound she heard and a typical infant doesn’t do this until they are about 4 months, this indicates to me that Marie’s parents talked to her a lot and she loved the attention, therefore she was starting to babble back and connect with her parents with the sounds they made.
Toddler
As a toddler Marie’s speech and language was quite advanced. Marie could use 10-20 intelligent words at 14 months and most toddlers reach this milestone at 15 months, therefore Marie is 1 month ahead. The family could have impacted on this as they would be constantly interacting with Marie and talking to her, therefore Marie has probably picked up these words and used them herself in the correct context. Marie could use language to express her feelings at 2 and a half years old, she is 6 months ahead of the norm as the typical age a toddler reaches this is 3 years old. Again the family can impact on this as Marie’s mother probably encouraged her to express her feelings by asking questions like “are you ok Marie, are you happy, sad?” etc, therefore Marie probably knew how tell her mother if she was ok or not. Marie could show signs of jealousy at 18 months, she is ahead of the norm by 4 months and the possible reason of this is probably because her mother was spending attention on her twin sister and not on her when Marie wanted it, therefore this could be the reason why she developed jealousy at an early age. Marie began to have an attitude at 2 years and the norm of this is 3 years. Marie is 1 year ahead and the reason she experienced this attitude is probably because her siblings had an attitude towards their mother because they were put into care or else Marie could have observed this from other family members and thought it was perfectly ok to have an attitude.
Pre-school
Marie could communicate easily with other children and adults. The family impacted on this as we know Marie was brought up around a large family therefore she would have been around a lot of relations such as cousins and aunties etc., she was use to interacting with them and this became easy to her to do when she went to pre-school. Marie could answer questions on stories at the age of 4, and a typical pre-schooler reaches this milestone at 5 years of age. As I know Marie only lives with her mother and sister, the house is probably quiet therefore Marie is able to concentrate and focus on the stories her mother is telling and is then able to comprehend the story and answer questions on it this may be why she is advanced.
School age
Marie could talk constantly at five and a half years. A typical school aged child is usually confident and wants to talk lots at the age of 6. Marie is advanced in this because her mother was the one who interacted with her. Her mother spent a lot of time with her and her twin as they are the only children she looked after. She was with them constantly and Marie mother probably encouraged Marie to talk as Marie and her twin are the only people who live in the house and Marie’s mother needs some interaction. Marie’s grammar was generally correct at the age of 6 year old this is probably because her mother corrected her grammar and told her what is the correct and not. Also the fact that Marie showed a major interest in reading also impacts on this because as you read your grammar becomes good. Marie expressed her body language and feelings at an early age. For example Marie sulked in the corner of the room when she got shouted at the age of 5. Children don’t usually express this milestone until they are about six. Marie was disciplined at an early age because her mother had to discipline two of them, therefore they would needed to have shared toys and learn their lessons when to take turns etc.
Emotional development
Infant
Marie’s development of herself is quite advanced as she is ahead of all the norms that are listed in the table in AO1. Marie enjoyed feeding herself at 7 months; she is one month ahead of the norm as it is 8 months when infants start to do this. I believe Marie is so advanced in this is because her mother probably gave Marie food and fed her and her twin sister at the same time, Marie probably observed this and made attempt to feed herself. Marie hugged her mummy when she was feeling scared at 6 months, this shows that Marie has an emotional bond with her mother and that there may have been strangers in her house at a young age, as she experienced this milestone a month before most infants do. Marie also showed mile severe anxiety when separated from her mother, this shows that Marie was attached to her mother and that her mother did spend a lot of time with her because she became upset when she wasn’t with her mother.
Toddler
Marie never played alone near other children this is probably because Marie has a twin and is used to playing with her and not playing alone, therefore this may be the reason why she never met this milestone. At 15 months Marie could distinguish between a boy and girl and a typical infant doesn’t notice this until 17 months, Marie is 2months head of this norm, this indicates to me that her mother brought Marie up around different sexes for example her sibling when they visited. Marie’s mother would have remarked that she had a sister and a brother and this is how Marie could notice the difference between a boy and a girl.
Pre-school
Marie was apprehensive about strangers at the age of 3 years old and a typical pre-schooler is aware of them at 4 years old, this tells me that Marie is 1 year ahead of the norm. This indicates to me that there may have been a lot of strangers around the area Marie lived or there may have been strangers in the house and Marie knows she’s not related to them as she was brought up around them. At 4 years of age Marie demonstrated anger by slamming doors and stamping feet. Marie developed this emotion at an early age as 6 year old usually develop this emotion. The reason I believe Marie has developed this at an early age is because she has started to notice that she isn’t seeing her father anymore and that other children are being picked up from pre-school by both parents and Marie only has one. Also the fact that there have been many deaths in the family could result in Marie becoming angry and upset as her family is the first person she gains trust with. God has taken these people Marie bonded with from her family circle and this may be why she was expressing her anger at a young age. Marie also said “I hate you” at the age of four. This is quite a young age to say something like this and I believe the family has influenced this because maybe she has heard her siblings say it or other members of the family.
School age
Marie knows how to control her own emotions at the age of 5, this is probably because her mother had remarked that she is a big girl and they don’t cry and this is how she has learned to control her emotions. Marie was aware of herself and could describe the difference between herself and other children at the age of 5, this is probably because Marie was brought up in a large family therefore she could observe that people where different to her.
Social development
Infant
Marie is fairly advanced in her social development as an infant. At 6 months Marie spent a lot of time observing and watching. A typical infant does this at 8 months. Marie’s house probably had a lot of activity in it with the two parents having arguments etc. Marie has been aware of this, therefore she is observing around her. Marie recognised family member’s names at 6 months and the typical age an infant meets this is at 8 months. She is 2months ahead of the norm; this indicates to me that Marie’s family interacted with her a lot, teaching her names within the family etc. Marie became independent at a young age. A typical infant begins to co-operate with dressing and feeding at 7 months. Marie was familiar with this at 5 months and this is probably because she observed her mother dressing her sister and then knows that she is next to get dressed. At 6 months Marie liked to gain her parents attention. This shows me that Marie loved her parents and really needed their attention because a typical infant doesn’t pass any remarks on getting attention until they are eight years of age. This is also suggests that Marie wasn’t getting enough interaction from her parents and had to cry in order for them to talk to her.
Toddler
Marie didn’t want to play on her own as a toddler, she never reached this milestone. This is probably because she was constantly playing with her twin and never had the chance to play on her own. Marie also shared well as a toddler at 16 months. Most toddlers don’t share well until they are 20 months. This indicates to me that Marie’s parents disciplined her well because she had a twin and had to share the toys she had and also take turns.
Pre-school
Marie’s ability to relate to other is fairly advanced as she is ahead of all the milestone that were listed in the table. Marie played with children and wanted to share toys and take turns at 3 years. She is 1 year ahead of the norm as most children want to do this at 4 years. The possible reason why Marie wants to do this is because her parents have got her into the routine of sharing and taking turns with her twin, she has experienced this in the house and therefore carries this experience in the pre-school.
School age
Marie has been carrying out simple tasks around the house since she was five years old. Most children don’t take on roles until they are about six. Marie is 1 year ahead and I believe she is advanced in this because her mother has needed a hand around the house; therefore she gave the twins tasks to do at an early age. Marie came independent at 5 years of age; this is evident because I know that she could play games with her friends even though she didn’t really want to play them. She is doing this because she is used to taking turns with her twin at home. Her mother has encouraged her to take turns and therefore she is used to it.
Economic Circumstance
Economic circumstance is another factor that can impact on a child’s development. An economic factor is anything that involves money.
- Housing
- Food
- Education
- Clothes
- Transport
- Household items
- Electric
- Heating
- Medical bills
- Private health care
All the things I have listed in the bullet point are the vital essentials an individual needs in order to survive in our society and in order to purchase these essentials you need money.
Our current economic situation could be better but unfortunately at this time we are in the middle of a recession which has greatly affected many of our lives. There are fewer jobs in society and this means less money, therefore people are signing up to benefits to receive more money and in result of this, all benefits have been cut back, therefore those low income families that receive child benefits, may find It difficult to survive and fulfil the needs of their children and this could greatly affect their child’s physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional and social development in many different ways.
Case study of Marie in relation to this factor
Marie was born premature and had to be put into an incubator for 10 days. Marie has moved about, roughly 8 times. Marie’s mother never had a job and receives child benefits therefore she lives in a low income family. Marie now lives in a flat with her mother and the flat has 2 bedrooms and she shares her room with her twin sister.
Physical development
Infant
As we know that Marie was born premature this is probably because her mother could not afford to buy nutritious meals and therefore she may have lacked in the nutrients needed and this could have caused the babies to born also. Also the fact that Marie’s mother copes with money problems could have brought on the labour as she may be stressed about how she would cope with twins and how she could fulfil the needs of her babies and this may have caused her to go into early labour. During infancy Marie’s weight and height were both below the norm and the cause of this could be that Marie’s mother may not be able to afford to give Marie and her twin the right nutrients and therefore Marie could be malnourished and this may be the reason she is below the norm. Living in poor housing conditions could have caused Marie to become ill and this may be the reason why she suffered from being underweight. For example at 3 months Marie should have been weighing 12.5 pounds but instead she was weighing 7 pounds which is seriously under the norm. I know that Marie never walked and this could be because her mother never let her down on the ground to crawl as the condition of the house may have been very bad.
Toddler
As a toddler Marie was still not reaching the norm as she was under the general weight. At 15 months, Marie only weight 19 pounds and she should have been weighing 23.26 pounds, even though Marie being premature could contribute to her being underweight, it could also be the cause of not having enough money to feed Marie a proper dinner, therefore her mother may have had to focus on her budget and focus on the quantity of the food brought into the house rather than the nutritional value, as food with nutritional value is quite expensive. Marie’s height was also below the norm as a toddler and in order to grow in height you need good food and again, Marie’s mother must not have been able to afford good food, therefore this may be why she is below the norm.
Pre-school
As a pre-schooler, Maries height was still below the norm but not by much because at 3 years of age Marie should have been weighing 30.8 pounds and she weighed 30 pounds, this indicates to me that Marie’s mother may have been informed about how underweight she was during infancy and toddlerhood and therefore her mother saved to buy nutritious food so that they could put on weight and be healthy also they could have moved to a better house where the conditions of the house were better and therefore Marie may not have been ill anymore.
School age
Marie is still underweight and under the height norms during school age. This time Marie may have had to move to a new house and again the house could have had bad conditions, therefore Marie could have become ill and became severely underweight again, because as I know when Marie was 7 years old she weighed 42 pounds and she should have been weighing 50.6 pounds. This is quite worrying and I believe the economic factor has impacted on this as Marie’s mother may not be able to afford to give Marie good food full of vitamins.
Intellectual/linguistic development
Infant
Looking at Marie’s intellectual development I observed that Marie was quite advanced throughout infancy but there wasn’t much reference to toys. What I am trying to say is, that she didn’t stimulate her intellectual development from toys because in the milestones there isn’t much reference to toys that have made her become advanced. It seems that Marie’s mother entertained Marie and taught Marie and this is how she became advanced. This indicates to me that Marie did not have many toys, Marie mother was not able to purchase many games and toys to promote learning due to the economic factor but Marie’s intellectual development was still able to be stimulated through the entertainment and bonding from her mother. For example; Marie babbled expressively as if talking at 6 months and the general age a child does this is at 7 months. Marie is 1 month ahead which indicates to me that Marie’s mother interacted and played with her more than she did with toys. Another example is that Marie played with her fingers, hands and toes to amuse her-self which suggest that Marie didn’t have many toys.
Toddler
Marie’s intellectual development as a toddler was quite advanced as she was ahead of the norm throughout the milestones that were listed in the table. Marie may have lived in a poor area and may not have got many things to fulfil her needs but she has become advanced before other kids that may be better off than her.
Pre-school
Marie is quite advanced in this stage of her life as well, which indicates to me that even though her circumstance may have been bad, it didn’t affect her at pre-school. Marie could name 6-8 colours and could identify three shapes at 4 years of age. Most children can’t do this until they are five years of age; this tells me that even though Marie attended and government funded pre-school it was still a good standard pre-school as Marie became advanced in her intellectual and linguistic developments before most children do.
School age
Marie’s intellectual development at this stage was just in line with the norm. she wasn’t above the norm and this indicates to me that Marie’s mother may not have been able to afford any toys in order to enhance her intellectual development therefore from going to school can only do this for her. This also indicates that Marie never attended private school to enhance her intellectual development and she may also be in line with the norm due to moving around too much, that she never really had the chance to stay in primary school to enhance her development in this area.
Emotional development
Infant
As an infant I know that Marie emotional development was quite advanced as she was ahead of the most of the norm. I know that at 4 months Marie cried with tears to communicate fear this indicates to me that Marie’s mother may have been stressed due to money problems and therefore she has taken out the anger on Marie and this could be why she has developed this milestone at an early age, because most develop and express this emotion at 5 months. I know that Marie showed mile severe anxiety when 7 months, she is advanced in this and this may be because Marie was bored as she may not have many toys to play with as her mother couldn’t afford them and therefore she was affected of play deprivation.
Toddler
During toddler hood I know that Marie never enjoyed played alone, this may because she was bored and hadn’t many toys to play with, therefore the only company she had was to play with her sister in order to overcome her anger and desire for toys. Marie may have been deprived from toys due to her mother not having enough money to supply them with educational toys.
Pre-school
As a pre-schooler we know that Marie was quite angry and had a habit of slamming doors and stamping her feet around the house at the age of 4. This is a very early age for a child to be experiencing this emotion, therefore this tells me that Marie may be fed up and bored around the house. Marie was probably not allowed to attend youth clubs and fun activity classes around her area as her mother could not afford it, therefore this may be the reason why she reached this milestone two years before she was suppose to. I have also observed from the tables that Marie had said “I hate you” quite a lot to her mother. This may because Marie was very bored and there was nothing to do in the house because Marie’s mother has no money to buy Marie anything to satisfy her.
School age
Marie is also quite advanced in her emotional area. She has experienced many emotions before most children do and this could be because Marie has had to move around a lot, she has had to leave many schools due to financial circumstance and this may be why she is use to controlling her own emotions and the age of 5, 1 year before she is meant to.
Social development
Infant
As an Infant, Marie’s social development was quite advanced I can’t detect anything that may cause her economic circumstance to make her become advanced.
Toddler
As a toddler Marie never wanted to play on her own this suggests that Marie wanted company, someone to play with as she may not have liked the toys she was given. As I know Marie’s mother has low income, she probably bought old toys from charity shops and some of these may have been broken therefore Marie may not have be satisfied with the toys and this could be why she never played on her own.
Pre-school
At pre-school age Marie had the ability to relate to others at an early age. This is probably because Marie is used to moving around a lot due to financial circumstances, therefore she was continuously meeting new people and leaving new people and this may be why she is so advanced in her social development. She is a very affectionate towards her family and friends, and this may because she knew she was going to move again, therefore she would socialise to make the most of the time she has left in that area. I also know Marie wouldn’t talk to strangers at the age of 3, this is probably because Marie has moved around a lot due to financial circumstance therefore she is continuously around strangers and knows not to talk to them.
School age
Lastly I observed that Marie found criticism hard to handle. The fact that Marie would most likely be receiving free dinners in school due to her financial circumstance, children at her school may stigmatize her as being poor and may bully
her and this may be why her social development is affected early, as some children may not want to be friends with the ‘Poor kid’. Marie was able to begin to see things from another child’s point of view, she was able to relate to them by the age of 5, the general age that this milestone is met is 7 years of age. I believe Marie was independent at a young age due to her economic circumstance, she had to be mature and try to handle that she is poor therefore she has matured from a young age and this economic factors has impacted on her social development.
Environmental factors
Environmental factors are conditions that people live in. This factor consists of;
- Housing conditions
- Location
- Pollution
- Access to health and welfare services
The type of environment a family is reared in can affect a child’s development in many ways. For instance, a good quality house usually has a positive effect on a child. Good quality housing can impact on the five key areas on a child development. A house situated in an area with less noise means that a child can relax more and this would enable them to concentrate on their homework and enhance their intellectual ability. A Childs emotional development would be enhanced as they would have more space in the house to play and the child would be content therefore this positively influences their emotional ability as they would be happy. Socially, living in a good area would have a better environment resulting in a strong sense of community where a child could join community groups and clubs such as Irish dancing classes and youth clubs. Good housing is usually situated in a good area where there is access to health and welfare and this means if the child becomes ill, they will have a health service near by for them to recover. However on the other hand looking at the environmental factor for a low income family, they would most likely be living in a poor environment with poor living conditions. As a low income hasn’t any money, they are most likely depending on the council to pay for their house and most of these houses are in poor conditions and are in an urban area where there is pollution and bad areas that have high crime rates. All these factors could impact on a child’s five aspects of development. Physically a child can become ill due to the poor conditions of the house, as a poor house would have damp walls with mould, a child can pick up chest infections from this and become very ill will impact on their intellectual development as they would need to take some time off school in order to recover from their illness. Also the fact if the area that child lives in has a high crime rate with lots of vandalism, the children will most likely not be able to go outside therefore they would most likely be isolated in the house and their intellectual development and social development would suffer. Emotionally, they could be frustrated from being in the house constantly; they could become bored and throw tantrums with their parents because they are not allowed to go outside.
Case study of Marie in relation to the environmental factor
Firstly as we already know, Marie’s mother does not work and is dependant on child benefits in order to survive this factor alone can determine the type of environment Marie lives in. Marie has moved numerous of times, roughly 8 as her mother had remarked. This means that Marie has been to many different environments, some may have been good and some may have been bad. I know Marie has been to various different pre-schools and primary schools. Marie and her family now live in a flat in a rural area which has 2 bedrooms and she shares her bedroom with her twin sister. This indicates to me that the flat isn’t very big as it only has two rooms, therefore Marie’s development could be influence either negatively or positively by this factor.
Physical development
Infant
When Marie was born, she was premature as she was a few weeks early. This indicates to me that Marie’s mother may have taken ill due to the environment she lived in. The condition of the house may have been poor therefore her mother may have been sick and taken into hospital to induce the labour so that the twins were not at risk of death or affected by their mothers illness. As an infant Marie’s weight was under the norm throughout the infant ages. At 3 months she weighted 7 pounds and the norm is 12.5 pounds, this is worrying as she is underweight. This may be due to the environment she lives in. Maybe the housing quality is poor and Marie became very sick and this could be the reason why she is underweight. Marie’s gross motor skills as an infant were quite advanced however Marie never reached a milestone which was crawling. Marie should have been crawling at the age of 8-9 months but Marie never did this, the reason for this may be that Marie’s mother never let her down on the floor to crawl because maybe the condition of the house was very bad, maybe it was too dangerous for Marie to be on the floor, therefore she never had the chance to develop her crawling.
Toddler
Marie is still not reaching the average weight throughout her toddler months. At 15 months she weight 19 pounds and she should have been 23.26 pounds she is seriously below the average weight. At 18 months Marie weight 21 pounds, Marie still isn’t even reaching the average weight she should have been when she was 15 months, this indicates to me that the environmental factor is impacting on this because Marie could have been ill due to living conditions of the house. Marie also has a case of asthma and this may be due the poor conditions of the house. Marie gross motor skills as a toddler are fairly advanced and the reason for this could be that Marie moved and lived in a good environment so that she could develop her gross motor skills and fine motor skills.
Pre-school
Marie’s weight as a pre-schooler is still under the general weight; however she isn’t as under the norm as she was throughout her infant and toddler life, therefore this indicates to me that Marie may have moved house and the environment may have been better for her that it was when she was an infant and a toddler. For example; at 3 years old Marie weighed 30 pounds and the general weight at this age is usually 30.8 pounds. Marie isn’t severely underweight in this stage of her life so this could mean that Marie lived in a better environment at this age. As Marie’s family is a low income family, Marie probably attended a government funded pre-school, therefore the pre-school may have had to budget and cut out on the breakfast a child has in the pre-school and this may be another reason Marie is underweight. Marie is advanced in her gross motor skills by one year during this stage of her life. Marie could catch and bounce a ball at the age of three and most pre-schoolers can do this at four years of age. This shows that Marie may have lived in a good environment and her mother did spent a lot of time with her to be able to do this, therefore this may be the possible reason how this factor impacted on her being advanced in this type of development.
School age
Throughout Marie’s school age, her physical growth is quite poor as she is still under the general weight norm. At 6 years of age she weighed 39 pounds and the weight she should have been or been near is 46.2 pound. This is very underweight; this is indicating to me that Marie may have been malnourished. She may not have been getting the nutrients needed in order to grow and also she may have lived in a poor environment at this stage of her life which would not help her development as she could have been sick from the conditions of the house. Now at her current age which is seven she is weighing 42 pounds and she is supposed to be 50.6 pounds, this indicates to me that the flat she is now living in, may have poor conditions and it is affecting her health, which is making her become ill and therefore this may be why she is underweight. Marie’s physical development in her gross motor skills is just in line with the norm, this indicates to me that Marie’s environment, in which she lives in, is dangerous and she may not be allowed outside to play due to crime rates in her area. Marie could ride a two wheeled bike without stabilisers at the age of six; she is in line with the norm as the average age most children reach this is at six years of age. Marie may only be in line with this norm as she may have done bicycle lessons in school; she may not be able to do it at home due to the environment she lives in. Marie is advanced in one of her patterns as she was able to swim without arm bands at 6 years of age, and most school age children can’t do this until 7 years of age. This indicates to me that the environment Marie lived in when she was six, may have been good and she may have lived near her swimming pool and this may be why she was advanced, as she may have been treated to go to the swimming pool once every two months by her mother.
Intellectual/linguistic development
Infant
Marie’s intellectual and linguistic development was quite advanced as she was ahead of the norms, Marie could relate to sound at the age of 2 months she was 1 year ahead of the norm. The environment factor could have impacted on this as there may have been noise pollution in the area she lived in therefore this may be why Marie was so alert to the sounds at 2 months. Marie could look at the person talking to her at 13 months, she was 1 month a head of the norm. The environment factor could have impacted on this as she may have nothing else to look at as there may nor have been much in the house such as a television etc, therefore she paid all her attention observing people in the house like her twin and her mother.
Toddler
Throughout toddler hood Marie is advanced in the two patterns of development for intellectual and linguistic development. The reason she is so advanced could be that she lived in a quiet area and environment through this stage of her life, therefore she may not have been deprived of sleep due to noise pollution and this could be why her intellectual and linguistic developed is advanced.
Pre-school
Marie is quite advanced in this aspect of her development also. Marie could listen to stories and answer questions about them at the age of 4, this may be because Marie had good concentration and a good attention span as the environment she lived in may have been quiet and this allowed her to listen attentively to the story and answer questions on it. It also indicates to me that Marie may have attended a good pre-school and this may be why she is advanced.
School age
Marie asked innumerable questions at the age of 5, one year before most children do this, this is maybe because she was in a bad environment where she was not allowed to go outside and she maybe didn’t understand this and this may be why she was so advanced and asked lots of questions to her mother.
Emotional development
Infant
Marie cried a lot to indicate pain or displeasure, she may have been ill due to the environment she lived in therefore she expressed her emotions and an early age to show her pain. Marie hugged her mummy a lot when she became scared at 6 months and most children experience the need to do this at 7 months. Marie has experienced this before the norm because she may have not felt safe in the environment she lived in and therefore she became emotionally attached to her mother all the time. Marie also needed her mother to be in constant sight which also indicates to me that the child did not feel safe in the environment she lived in.
Toddler
Marie never enjoyed playing alone when she was a toddler and the possible reason for this is because she didn’t feel safe playing on her own, she needed other children in her circle to play with in order to feel safe. Marie also played with children and this indicates to me that Marie was allowed outside, therefore her environment may have been safe at this stage of her life, and she may not have lived in a run down area at this stage of her life.
Pre-school
Marie experienced extreme and aggressive emotions at the age of 4 years, this is very early as most children experience bad emotions at 6 years of age. Marie had anger problems and continuously said the word “I hate you”. This indicates to me that Marie may not have been happy with the environment she lived in. She may have been deprived of play to due the area she lived in as it may have been too dangerous, therefore she may have had to stay inside constantly and not be allowed to play outside. Marie also said the word “I hate you”, Marie may have heard this statement in her house and has used it, or else she may have been socialising with the children at her school in her area and may have picked this up, therefore this how the environment could have impacted on this.
School age
Marie found criticism hard to handle, this suggests that the area she lived in may have been poor and the children in the area may have had behavioural problems, therefore at school Marie may have been bullied and this may be why she developed this milestone at an early age, because she found criticism hard to take at 5 years of age, and most school age children don’t notice this and are not offended by this until they are at least six years old.
Social development
Infant
Marie is quite advanced in her social development. She spend a lot of her time observing and watching at the age of 6 months and most children don’t do this until they are about 8 months, this indicates to me that there may be a lot of activity around the area Marie lived, there may have been a lot of noise pollution around her home and this may have caused Marie to become aware and observant of what is going on around her.
Toddler
As a toddler Marie was very advanced in her ability to relate to other, this may because she is used to seeing new people all the time as she has moved to different locations during her lifetime. I observed that Marie needed her primary carer near her at all time, she would begin to cry and yap if she could not see her mum and dad. At 10 months she needed her primary carer in constant view and a child doesn’t usually care about this until they are 18 months, Marie was 8 months advanced in this, and this does suggest that Marie didn’t feel safe in the environment she lived, she may not have been content and happy and this may be why she was attached to her mother, as her mother gives her a sense of safety.
Pre-school
Marie was aware of strangers and would not talk to them at 3 years of age. Most children are not aware of them until they are about 4 years old. This suggests that Marie didn’t feel safe in the environment she lived in. It seems she was conscious about the area she lived it and was aware of strangers as she has moved too many times in her life.
School age
At school age Marie found it very difficult to make friends as she became older. This indicates that Marie is tired of socialising and making new friends as she is thinking constantly when she is going to move next. She is become more self-conscious of herself and this is probably due to the environment. Does she fit it? does she not?. Marie has lived in many different environments as she has moved house a lot, therefore this has impacted on her social development in quite a negative way.
Education
Education is a very important factor that can enhance a child’s development in different ways. In society schools and colleges are open to everyone. It is vital and it is compulsory that every child attends school as education is the only way anyone can get qualifications and qualifications are needed in order to get a job, so that you can have money and live your life the way you want to. There are private schools which parents send their children to if they want them to have a good education, it is quite expensive, this type of school is more for families that have good income as you need to pay private schools to tutor your child. Other schools are funded by the government and these types of schools are opened to all different types of backgrounds and cultures.
Education can affect a child in many different ways some positive and some negative. On the positive side education gives a child the chance to excel in what they are good at; it allows children to enhance their intelligence and to achieve their goals. Education allows children to socialise and make friends. The negative side to education is bullying. Bullying occurs in most schools especially schools that are open to different backgrounds and cultures. As children can see their differences and mixes with people from their own background, they tend to bully people who aren’t like them. Even though school uniforms are worn and everyone is wearing the same clothes, bullying still continues in today’s society.
Case study in relation to this factor
Marie comes from a low income family as her mother is unemployed and she is dependent on child benefits in order to survive. Marie has been to numerous different schools. Marie went to a government funded pre-school therefore she may not be as well off as the other people in her school. This education factor could have affected Marie’s development in many different ways.
Physical development
Infant
As I already know Marie was born premature, this may be because her mother is stressed as she has hardly any money and she is having continuous arguments with her partners, therefore this may be the reason why Marie was born early. As I already know Marie has been under the norm for her weight and height and this suggests that Marie may not be getting the correct nutrients needed in order to grow. In Marie’s gross motor skills and fine motor skills she was very advanced and the reason for may be because Marie was playing with educational toys that her mother may have bought from charity shops. This may have enhanced her intellectual ability.
Toddler
As a toddler Marie’s physical growth was still quite poor as she was still below the average norm. At 21 months she was weighing 23 pounds and an average toddler weight 25.79 pounds. This suggest that Marie was not getting the correct nutrients needed in order to grow, this indicates to me that Marie may have lived in an area where there were no shops near buy in order to buy nutritious meals, therefore is there were no shops, there may have been no facilities Marie could have been brought to in order to enhance this physical development or impact on her intellectual development.
Pre-school
Again Marie was still under the norm for her weight and height; however she wasn’t much under the norm as she was throughout her infant and toddler life. At 3 years of age, Marie weighed 30 pounds and she should have being 30.8 pounds. There is not much in the different of weight here as there was when she was an infant and a toddler, this suggest that Marie attended a good pre-school where she would have been giving her breakfast and possibly her lunch. This suggest that the food she ate in pre-school was nutritious and this may be why she wasn’t as under the norm as she was throughout the first two stages of her life.
School age
At school age Marie is still under the norm for her weight and her height. At six years of age she weighed 39 pounds and she should be weighing 46.2 pounds. Marie is seriously underweight and this suggest she may not be eating her dinner in school or her mother may not know that she is entitled to free lunches therefore Marie may went to school and never ate anything and waited for her dinner until she got home.
Intellectual/linguistic development
Infant
Marie’s intellectual and linguistic development through infancy was quite advanced. This suggests to me that maybe her mother sent her to a child minding facility which was opened to other children so that parents could go and run their errands and do the grocery shopping etc. At 6 months Marie could babble as if she was talking and a typical infant can do this at 7 months. This suggests to me that Marie may have been constantly observing and listening to other infant babbling and this could be why she is advanced in this. Marie could mimic sounds, inflections and gestures at 6 months and a typical infant can do this at 7 months. This suggests that the child minding facility is enhancing her intellectual and linguistic development as she was probably looking around and hearing these sounds from the other infants in the child minding facility therefore this could be the reason she is advanced in this milestone.
Toddler
Marie enjoyed repeating simple rhymes at 18 months. She is ahead of the norm by 2 months as the norm is 20 months. Nursery rhymes enhance a child’s cognitive development as they are educational and they also get the brain thinking. This indicates to me that Marie’s mother is educating her rhymes so that she will fit into pre-school when she goes, as this is part of what pre-schoolers learn when they go to school.
Pre-school
At pre-school Marie’s intellectual and linguistic development was in line with the norm, which suggests that she is at the correct age to attend pre-school as she is in line and is one the same level as other pre-school children. Marie had a basic understanding of concepts related to number and size. Marie was being taught this at pre-school which has enhanced her intellectual and linguistic development.
School age
Marie’s intellectual development at school is in line with the norm. Marie became interested in reading at 6 years of age. Education has impacted on this because school is all about reading, therefore this has encouraged her to read and become very interested in it and this enhances her development.
Emotional development
Infant
Marie was ahead of the norms in her emotional development. Marie could have been educated through the television. Marie’s mother was probably cleaning the house and to entertain her and her twin she probably switched on the television. Watching television programmes on television can educate you as you can observe and see what they are doing. Marie was able to smile when she was being talked to at 6 months and the general age this is met is 8 months. Marie probably observed this type of emotion from the television therefore she could smile to her mother when she came into her view.
Toddler
If Marie’s mother did leave her off at a child care facility, this could be the reason why Marie is advanced in her emotional development. Marie kept asking why a question at the age of 34 months and the typical age for this is 36 months. This suggests that Marie has been alert and listening at other children asking why questions to their supervisors in the child care facility.
Pre-school
Marie could play co-operatively with other children from the age of three. The education factor could have impacted on this because if Marie was left in a child care centre throughout her infant and toddler months, she would have been interacting and playing with the other kids and this may be why Marie is advanced in this milestone because the typical age a child co-operates well with other children is around 4 years of age. Marie is 1 year advanced and this could be due to learning and playing with other children at the child minding facility.
School age
At school age Marie was advanced in her emotional development of herself. Marie was ware of her herself and could describe her hair and eye colour at 5 years old. Most children can do this between six to eight years old. Marie is ahead of the norm by one year and the education factor could have impacted on Marie being advanced because she attended a pre-school and at pre-school she learned about her hair and her eye colour etc.
Social development
Infant
Marie’s social development is quite advanced throughout the two patterns of development for this type of development. At 6 months Marie spend a lot of time observing and watching. The education factor could have impacted on this because if Marie was at a child care minding facility with other infants around her, she would probably be constantly observing and alert, therefore this could impact on her social development throughout the other stages of her life.
Toddler
As a toddler Marie didn’t want to play on her own. Education probably impacted on this because if she was at a day care minding facility while her mother was running errands, she was probably encouraged to bond and socialise with the other children, therefore education as impacted on Marie in a positive way.
Pre-school
Marie played with the children in pre-school and shared toys and took turns with them. Education has impacted on this because this is the way pre-school operates. It is about learning children how to share and co-operate with each other in a good manner so that they learn the skills that are required when they go to primary school.
School age
At school Marie found criticism hard to handle. She experienced this at an early age before most children do and this could be down to education. She may have been bullied due to her background as she may have had poor hygiene because she comes from a low income family and her mother may not be able to afford water bills etc.
Conclusion
Looking at these four factors has expanded my knowledge that many factors can affect a child’s development in so many different ways. Some of the factors influenced Marie’s development in a positive way and a negative way but I believe the main factor that really influences a child is their family as these are the first people children bond with in their lives. They have a really big impact on them and it is down to family in what factors can affect their development in a positive or negative way.