Description of Child and Family
- Anne Grace
- 3.5 years old
- Female
- Lebanese
- Australian
- Arabic
- English
- Middle class
- Not defined
- Master Degree in Psychology
- Married
- The mother had two miscarriages prior to giving birth to Anne Grace
Child’s Functioning
Cognitive/Intellectual Functioning
As far as the child’s cognitive and intellectual functioning is concerned, Anne Grace seems to be developing properly, according to what the narrator tells. The child has been evolving properly, both in terms of physical and mental wellbeing. As far as the minor issues are concerned, one must bring up the fact that Anne grace has certain issues with words pronunciation.
For her practice in Arabic language, this would be understandable; however, on a range of occasions, the mother noticed that the child mispronounced English words. Particularly, the child cannot say the word “scooter” properly, and the mother has to correct Anne Grace whenever the word pops up. Though this might seem a minor issue, the fact that the child cannot pronounce some of the words correctly at the age of 3.5 may signify that there are certain developmental issues to be considered.
Dangerous Behaviors & Immediate Threat to Personal Safety
According to the information presented by the lecturer, the personal safety of the child is impeccable. Despite the fact that there is always a possibility for an accident due to the human factor, the mother obviously does her best in preventing every major issue my providing the family members and the staff with exact and precise instructions. It is also crucial that both the person in charge of the child’s safety and Anne Grace herself receive detailed information about the proper behavioral patterns.
Thus, the mother facilitates maximum safety for Anne Grace and creates the environment, in which the child can feel secure. In addition, the lecturer mentioned that Anne Marie behaved aggressively towards one of her peers in the primary school. To be more specific, she pushed him after a minor conflict. Therefore, one may claim that the child might be developing uncertainty about her status in the school hierarchy.
Emotional/Psychiatric/Behavioral Functioning
The fact that the author has designed a unique strategy for training her children to develop the proper problem-solving approaches towards various issues that they encounter in the process of interpersonal communication should also be mentioned. According to the narrator, the key to developing the correct behavioral patterns in each of her children and specifically in Anne Grace concerned establishing contact and cooperation.
As the lecturer explained, she taught her child that the communication process should be based on a mutual involvement, on giving and sharing as much as receiving. As a result, even though Anne Grace may have certain shifts in her emotional state due to specific events in her life, she is prepared for approaching the complex situation as an adult and working on the solution that will satisfy both her and the person involved in the conversation.
In addition, the author mentions that she has never tried to continue the tradition of the Arabian mothers to take their children to bed with them. Though the lecturer admitted that the given strategy did have a point, as it allowed for feeding the baby whenever it feels hungry, the lecturer also outlined that, by taking the baby to bed with her, a mother deprives her child of the chance to develop certain independency.
Social Functioning
According to the information that the narrator has provided, the child seems to be developing outstandingly well in terms of her social development and communication with others. For instance, the lecturer mentioned that, when dropping in on her child in a daycare, she found that Anne Grace had outstanding social skills. To be more specific, the child introduced her mother to her friends and attempted at engaging her into a conversation with the latter. Therefore, it can be assumed that the child is fully capable of communicating with both her peers and the adults.
Cultural/Spiritual Functioning
Despite the fact that the family is not pressuring children into becoming religious, both the lecturer and her husband clearly do not shy away from discussing the issues related to religion with their children. Moreover, the parents do their best to make sure that their kids’ religious or spiritual experiences should be insightful and answer their questions.
For instance, the narrator mentions that, when noticing her father praying, Anne Marie asked about the meaning of the procedure and was not prevented from watching the process of praying, but also suggested experiencing the spiritual moment herself. As a result, the narrator explains, the child was delighted about the spiritual activity in question and received powerful motivation for her further spiritual evolution.
Community Involvement/Recreational Status
The narrator mentioned that Anne Marie is excited about the opportunity to create. Therefore, any activities that involve active use of imagination are viewed by Anne Grace as an opportunity to express herself. Despite the fact that the child is quite young, it already displays a keen interest in the way that the society operates, and takes active part in the process of communication occurring between the members of the mini-society in the school that the child attends.
Special Circumstances in Childhood
It would be wrong to claim that Anne Marie has never had any negative emotional experience – the latter, in fact, is just as crucial for a proper emotional development as the positive one. Indeed, it is not the ability to avoid stressful situations, but the skill of coping with them that makes one stronger and more resilient towards accidents. However, there has been no major event in the child’s life, which would scar the child for life in some way. Instead, Anne Marie had to deal with certain conflicts, which involved learning an important life lesson, such as the necessity to share with others, the need to appreciate other people’s feelings, the fact that fighting does not solve problems in the relationships between her and her school peers, etc.
Significant Medical History
The child has not suffered any major accidents. As the mother explained, she made sure that the child should be on a safe distance from any object or person that might possibly pose a threat to Anne Grace’s wellbeing. As a result, the child has not suffered any major health issue and is developing properly, as the child of her age should.
List All Medication Currently Taken
The lecturer does not mention giving any medications to Anne Grace. Naturally, claiming that the child has never taken any medicine would be quite a stretch – being entirely safe from the threats that lead to developing health issues such as respiratory diseases, coughs, etc., is literally impossible. However, seeing that the lecturer did not mention giving her baby any medications, it can be assumed that the child has not had any serious health concerns so far.
Substance Abuse
No substance abuse has been registered in the family’s medical record. As with the issues regarding medications taken by the child, the narrator simply never mentions whether anyone in her family has ever abused any substances, including alcohol, drugs, prescription drugs, etc. Though a healthcare specialist does have to take such incomplete statements about the patient’s clean record of substance abuse with a grain of salt, it can still be assumed that the patient has never experienced one. Since the narrator displays quite high moral values and complies with a very rigid set of ethical principles, it is reasonable to suggest that she or anyone in her family has never abused any substances.
Prenatal and Birth History
The client did not suffer any threat when being in utero. Moreover, the delivery occurred naturally, with no major issues. According to the author, even the process of carrying the baby was delightful to her, and she had no issues in the course of her pregnancy.
Delayed Developmental Milestones
No delays in cognitive pr physical functioning except the aforementioned issues in pronunciation have been spotted.
Sensorimotor Functioning & Motor Development
The client has experienced no sensorimotor issues so far. The mother teaches Anne Grace to develop her sensorimotor functions by engaging the child into various physical activities.
Last/Current Grade Completed and School Attended: Indicate the client’s last grade completed and last school attended.
Because of her age, Anne Grace has only recently started attending school. Nevertheless, the girl receives enough information required for proper development at her age from her parents. It is quite impressive that at the age of three and a half, the child manages to speak two languages. In other words, Anne Grace is bilingual, i.e., in terms of her communication skills and linguistic abilities, she is way ahead other peers.
In addition, according to the lecturer, Anne Grace engages eagerly into the activities that presuppose observation, learning and creating. As the narrator explains, the child displays keen abilities to acquire and interpret new information.
Strengths and Barriers
It is important to acknowledge the client’s strengths and use them as platforms to build coping/problem solving skills and develop a more positive self-concept. Also identifying barriers to recovery provides keys to treatment goals/objectives and measurable outcomes. Strength based focused treatment is crucial when addressing difficult issues.
When it comes to identifying the strengths that the child in question possesses, one might mention the fact that the family background of Anne incorporates the elements of two cultures; as a result, the child is capable of learning essential elements of each, thus, creating a behavioral pattern that will eventually lead her to becoming a successful and independent person.
The upbringing, which the child receives, matters greatly in her personal evolution and clearly contributes to the development of essential skills and characteristics in the child for instance, the game of giving and taking, which the mother plays with Anne Grace, obviously serves as a means of explaining the child the basic ethical principles and a more complicated paradigm of interpersonal relationships at the earliest stages of the child’s development.