Infant Observatiom

Abstract—develop later

Intro.
Context: This interview took place in Crossville, Tennessee at the single family home of Keely, an 18 month old female child and her mother, Samantha. The home is located in a rural area within a community of less than 15, 000 people. It is approximately 20 miles from the down town area , and is therefore somewhat isolated. Keely’s maternal grandmother and grandfather live across the road but there are no other neighbors. The environment is very clean with several toys scattered around the living area but the environment appeared safe. We met in the living room of the home. Samantha is a 30 year old mother and Keely is her first child. No one else was present during the observation/interview.
Physical development: Keely appears to be developing normally within the milestones for an 18 month old (Citation).She is walking with ease, and her mother states that she is in the 50th percentile for both weight and length. She can run without falling and has well developed fine motor skills. This was evident when she was able to use a zipper exercise in a child’s book and also she was able to slide an on/off switch on her toy. I observed Keely playing with a toy in which she was required to take it apart and snap it back together and she did this easily. She also played a toy piano and pushed buttons while identifying farm animals on an interactive toy. Keely displayed a maternal instinct with her “babies” and calls them “Baby.”

Naptime consists of approximately 2 hours daily in the afternoon after lunch. Samantha states that Keely sleeps around 10 hours at night without waking. She goes down easily at naptime and at bedtime and has a favorite blanket that she uses to soothe herself if she wakes in the night. She does not take a pacifier and does not take a bottle to bed as her mother does not feel these are necessary and wants Keely to learn to “self-soothe.” Keely is drinking from a “sippy cup”and is beginning to use a spoon to feed herself. (Cite internet article)
Social development: Keely is not in daycare with the exception of the church nursery on Sundays. Her mother is a stay- at- home mom. Samantha states that when she leaves Keely, it is almost always with a family member and she is not left often. When she picks Keely up from the church nursery, Keely is happy to see her and engages immediately. This would support the positive attachment theory. (Citation) She states that caregivers in the nursery report that Keely plays alongside the other children (check developmental stuff) She seems to enjoy the other children and does not cry when Samantha leaves her in the nursery. Her social development appears to be normal for her age.
Upon my arrival, Keely was shy and apprehensive. She clung to her mother and seemed concerned that mother was going to leave and that she would be left with a caregiver. This behavior is exhibits normal separation anxiety for an 18 month old child (Citation). After approximately 15 minutes, she approached me and wanted to sit on my lap. She appeared very secure and trusting that I was a safe person. This would (tie in with reading on attachment)