Case Study Report: “What is normal development, for Jimmy?”
Life Span Stage of Case Study
Jimmy is of preschooler age and is 4 years old.
He doesn't attend daycare though, his grandmother looks after him in the day time, while his mother works part time. This is because they are poor.
He has a large family of 3 siblings and two cats. His father split up with his mother when Jimmy was 18 months old. So he has a very socialable environment at home and a lot of love and care. His father works hard to pay the child support but misses out on creating a bond. Despite this, nature wins over nurture and Jimmy shows he has father's rambunctious personality, running around frivolously and jumping energetically, in the lounge-room and on all the furniture around the house.
They visit his father via public transport or lifts, because his mother cannot drive.
By having a large family, he might have an enjoyable childhood, with opportunity to learn language well, however he has developed some speech pathology problems – probably due to missing his father and the sadness caused by him leaving. Perhaps this was better for Jimmy because his father is too authoritarian and the space might help him learn to recover from his speech problems by listening to the rest of his family. Perhaps he does it for attention, I wonder, because he's missed out on the attention he longs from his father, that he used to have.
At this age, children, are already talking, usually starting from one to two. By 4, they further develop their vocabulary and learn to write simple words, begin learning the alphabet and learn to count, preparing them for the following year of kindergarten.
They go from stages of pretend imaginative play to interacting with each other and learning to share and empathise with other children's laughter and tears. Missing out on preschool, might mean Jimmy struggles in kindergarten, but his grandmother encourages his independence as a learning style. While his mother tries to do everything for him to show him she cares, no doubt.
Critical Appraisal of Case Study
- Genetics: jimmy inherits his father's energy and personality
Environment: jimmy socialises with his siblings, knows intricate care from his mother andlearns independence from his grandmother. He misses out on childcare socialisation.
Erikson calls this the initive vs guilt stage, where the child adapts from being a toddler, changing to being an adventurous kindergartener. If Jimmy is unsuccessful in his adventures and initives, he may feel guilt. Otherwise he may learn the initiative to try new things more on his own. Through this, the child learns assertion and confidence. Failure can lead to self doubt or lack of initiative. I don't think his speech problems are aware however, also they're not deliberate for attention, it may be subconscious and having a speech pathologist help him, might help him practise speaking and get the words he's trying to say, correctly said. If she/he doesn't encourage him gently, this may lead to feelings of guilt which may discourage him from learning to speak well and clearly. Exploration during this time is important, it can help him come to terms with his own speaking skills and cognitive development. For example, learning from listening to the radio or from watching educational shows on tv, as well as trying to read children's books appropriate for his age. Another reason why exploration is important, is because it helps him learn from his mistakes and then he grows as a young individual, almost ready for school age, where he leaves his family behind during the days and learns to make friends with other children his age, maybe even having the same issues he has, to talk about and feel acceptance, self esteem and appreciation of other children and teachers.
Frued's psychosexual stage, is another psychosocial theory at play here. Jimmy is noticing the differences between gender and has an interest to play with the neighbour's girls. In this stage, 4 year olds develop their personality significantly, possibly as presentation to the opposite gender. This influences how he will act and carry out his choices, later on in his adult life. At this age, fixations with the other gender can occur as Jimmy learns about their differences and why he feels keen to socialise with them. This is called the phallic stage. In addition to noticing gender, boys compete for their mother's attention between father and mother. A child may develop frustration from competing for attention, which in this stage is called castration anxiety, for fear they'll be punished for not giving balanced attentio to both parents. Girls experience Extra complex, a similar phobia term for the same thing. To parents of the same gender, the other mother, may experience womb envy to that of the birth mother and this may be imposed on the child as taking unfair sides, I rationalise.
Further information on Jimmy's speech pathology could be verified at a local community health centre. There are also free, bulk billed child psychologists that can be very helpful.
Recommendations
I would recommend they try putting Jimmy's name on a waiting list for a free community day care, even if its just part time.
Mother groups where they come together for their young children to play together under their joint supervision and interaction, often held at churches, community groups, etc.
Scouts would be a good opportunity for Jimmy to find friends his age to socialise with and Sunday School, both are often mostly free.
Plain-language summary of recommendations
- Speech pathology
Community day care
Play groups
Social groups
References:
2024, SimplyPsychology.org
Accessed from: Erikson's Stages of Development (simplypsychology.org) on 15/9/24.
2024, Verywellmind.com
Accessed from: Freud's Stages of Human Development: 5 Psychosexual Stages (verywellmind.com) on 15/9/24.
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