TECA 1354
Dr. Osso Negro
04 April 2010
Child Observation Project I will be observing a seven-year-old child for my project. What I have learned from being a parent and watching my kids as they grow up the social emotional, physical and intellectual changes that occur in children between birth and the end of adolescence are that they all progress at individual intervals from dependency to increasing individualism. Because these developmental changes may be strongly influenced by genetic factors and events during prenatal life, genetics and prenatal development are usually included as part of the built in parenting skills we all possess. When children are born they have no sense of fear but quickly develop a fear of what is a perceived danger. There is a lot I still need to learn and no one area I could pin point. A seven year old child’s physical developments would be characterized by an increase in height at an average of 2 inches per year. (Potter, 148) Also Aaron would be able to hold a pencil adeptly and print letters and words. (Potter, 148) Children of this age also start to develop their more permanent teeth. Cognitively Aaron should be able to use symbols to carry out operations in thought rather than in action. (Potter, 148) According to Erikson’s Psychosocial Model kids of this age are in the industry vs. inferiority. Children strive to acquire competence and skills necessary for them to function as adults. (Potter, 148) This child that I observed is on target for their age group, physically this child is in the 90% for growth. Intellectually they are able to solve basic problems without writing them out. Socially and emotionally this child is on target in that he is able to interact confidently with other children. Aaron is a seven years and seven months old. He weighs 54 pounds and is 55 inches tall. His home life is fairly normal. His mother is divorced from the father. In school he is in regular classes and has a
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