Reference no: EM133859397

Psychosocial Perspectives Across the Life Course

Case Study Assessment - Child/Adolescent

Introduction

For this assessment, you are required to collect developmental data for a single child, adolescent, or adult closely, and report your findings. By definition, a case study is: "an intensive analysis of an individual unit (as a person or community) stressing developmental factors in relation to environment" (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The purpose of this project is to consolidate your knowledge and understanding of human development through its specific application to an individual in the context of their family and community. Your challenge is to collect data through a combination of techniques that are currently used in research and produce a written report demonstrating your understanding of biological, psychological, and social processes of development as they apply to a person in the age group you select. You are also expected to demonstrate your ability to use the collected information to formulate reasonable and justifiable predictions about the participant's future development (n.b. it is best not to use the word "subject" because people find the term demeaning).

Keep in mind that the purpose of every piece of assessment is to test your knowledge and understanding of the material presented in the unit you are studying. To get the best possible result you should make yourself familiar with the unit outline, lecture notes, textbook chapters, and articles in the reading list. As this unit focuses on research evidence that comes from a variety of different academic disciplines, such as psychology, neuroscience, and epidemiology, it will be important to demonstrate that you have engaged with this evidence-based literature. Use the marking rubric as a checklist to ensure project expectations are met. It is best to read the instructions very carefully before you begin. However, if you need clarification about any part of this assessment, do not hesitate to speak with your tutor.

First, you will select a suitable participant and obtain informed consent from the person or a parent (or guardian) in the case of a child or adolescent. Second, you will collect data. Third, you will write a report in which you will discuss your findings in the context of recent, evidence-based literature. Each of these steps is explained in some detail in the sections below.

Participant selection, informed consent, and duty of care

The person you choose to study must be a child or adolescent 15 years of age or younger or an adult 60 years of age or older. The instructions contained in this document are specific to a child or adolescent 15 years or younger. If you wish to study an adult 60 years or over, see the separate instruction document.

It is important that you do not know the child/adolescent or their family well. You should not choose your own son or daughter or a relative, such as a niece, nephew, or grandchild or personal psychologist, counsellor, physiotherapist etc. The reason is that the familiarity of the participant may comprise your findings. You should ask if you can do the case study with the child of a colleague or an acquaintance.
Another possibility is to ask a family member who has children to ask one of their friends to take part. Get professional assignment help services from verified experts!

Data collection

Collect the information for your report by using all three of the following research methods. Naturalistic observation for 30 minutes (Appendix A).
For children under 5 years of age ask the parents when the child is likely to be awake and active. For children 6 years of age and over and adolescents you will need to organise a time when the child/ adolescent is free from school and other activities. If at all possible, observe the child/adolescent interacting with another child/adolescent or adult either inside or outside their home, or in some other social setting. It is okay if the person is alone, but engaging in some meaningful activity, such as playing "dress-up" or playing with Lego. There is little point observing the person when they are engaging in screen activities, such as watching TV or playing a computer game.

Write your report in the style of an academic article using APA (7th ed.) headings, formal paragraphs, 1.5 line spacing throughout (including the reference list), and formal academic English writing in full sentences with correct spelling and grammar. It is not appropriate to write in note form or to use dot points. It is customary in formal academic writing to use an impersonal writing style (e.g. passive voice and third person). While I suggest you do this when possible, there are times when it is better to use a personal style (e.g. active voice and first person). It is better to say "I" rather than refer to yourself as "the researcher" or "the author". See the example on page 6. Your writing will need to be precise and concise. The report is limited to 1500 words (10% over the word limit is acceptable (+10%=1650 words/ -10-%=1350 words), excluding in-text references, the reference list, and appendices. A Word document is required. It is important that you do not attach pdf files or other scanned documents as these will make it run slowly in Blackboard. It is suggested that you use the following headings and word limits for each section:

Title page (including name and student ID) Contents page
Introduction (150 words) Background Information (150 words) Biological Factors (300 words) Psychological Factors (300 words) Social Factors (300 words)
Predictions for next five years (200 words) Conclusion (100 words)

Use the introduction to tell the reader what your report is about using the language of life course and bioecological theory. Also, describe how you know the participant and why you selected them, and describe specific details of the observation, interaction, and interview process. You must include sufficient detail - see the marking rubric. Next, report relevant background information, including the: participant's age and sex; age and sex of siblings; age, ethnic background, specific education level, and specific occupation of parent(s); proximity of extended family members; and the sociodemographic characteristics of the participant's residential suburb and neighbourhood.

Describe all salient aspects of the participant's biological, psychological, and social development in the three major sections of the report drawing on the data you have collected and presented in the three appendices (You should include all aspects of development in the list on Page 4). Do not simply transcribe information from your appendices. While mentioning all salient aspects of development, you should only highlight and discuss in some detail 2 aspects of development that are atypical or notable in each section. For example, if a young child was born at term, within the usual weight range, and has no disabilities or chronic illnesses, you only need mention this in a sentence; if a child's height/weight ratio indicates that they are overweight, you should discuss this and refer to recent evidence-based literature; if a child's fine motor skills are beyond expectations, you should discuss this and refer to recent evidence-based literature.

You are required to use at least 8 journal articles that report recent, relevant research findings. You will find that many research articles have a very useful review of evidence-based literature at the beginning. I suggest you first look for articles in your reading list relevant to your case study.

Using your textbook (Belsky) as a reference or any other books or textbooks in Psychology, Sociology, Nursing, Human Development, etc is unacceptable. The use of information and downloads from Websites (e.g. Wikipedia, Beyond Blue, HealthInsite, WHO) will not be accepted,

with the exception of those reporting demographic or statistical information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics or growth charts from Australian state government sources. The information you find in the journal articles should be woven into your report and properly cited using APA (7th ed.) referencing guidelines. Use the following as examples of how to write up your findings in your Case study Assessment:

Sam's communication skills were very highly developed for a child who is 40 months of age. She was able to complete all five ASQ communication tasks appropriate for 40-month-old children correctly, as well as tasks that are appropriate for 48-month-old children (see Appendix B). According to the literature, this is quite common for the children of parents who are read to constantly at an early age (Smith & Jones, 2015). Sam's mother mentioned that she loves books and that both she and Sam's father read books with her in the evening (see Appendix C). It is likely that Sam's well-developed communication skills will enhance her cognitive development more generally (Smith & Jones, 2015).

John's mother reported that he developed severe asthma when he was a baby (see Appendix C); however, it was not evident at all when we were kicking a ball around in the backyard (see Appendix B). John's mother also said that he learned to swim through surf life-saving when he was very young and that he is now in a swim training team at school. While he takes preventive medication and swims regularly, he has never experienced shortness of breath (Appendix C). It is very likely that swimming has helped John breathe and reduced the chance of him having asthma attacks (Brown, 2008). A number of well-conducted trials have shown the benefits of swimming for people with asthma (Read & Review, 2014).

When we were listening to music in her bedroom, Brittany told me that the other girls at school teased her about her weight, making her feel bad about herself (see Appendices B & C). Her mother also told me that she was being teased at school, which was affecting her grades (Appendix C). As mentioned above, according to her BMI, which I calculated using the measurements her mother gave me, she was in the overweight, almost obese range for 11-year-old girls (Appendix C). Self-esteem and body image are especially salient issues for adolescents, with many overweight adolescents experiencing anxiety and depression (Scott, Parks, & Liner, 2010). For physiological and psychosocial reasons, the prevalence of depression in females increases dramatically during adolescence (Kent, 2010). It is very likely that Brittany's overweight is associated with her early pubertal development (Snow, 2005) and that this is compounding her poor body image (Charles, 2013). Brittany said that she had just started seeing a dietician with her mum and that the teachers at school were helping to manage the bullying behaviour of the other girls (see Appendix B).
n.b. All above scenarios and references are fictitious.

In the next section, predict the participant's development in the next five years. Consider the circumstances/significant events the participant is likely to encounter over the next five years of development. Describe the strengths in the child/adolescent, the family, and the community that you think will foster optimal development. Also note whatever potential problems you see (either in the child's current level of development or in the family and community support system) that may lead to future difficulties for the child. It is not necessary to include references in this section. Your predictions should be based on information you have provided in the previous sections that is appropriately referenced.

Finally, write a few concluding sentences about life course human development and your experience of doing a case study, and very briefly outline the strengths and limitations of your case study research methodology, including naturalistic observation, informal interaction, developmental assessment, and interview.