Chris is a five year- and three-months-old boy who is the only child in the family now. As obtained from observation and conversations with the father and grandmother, the boy lives with his father and grandparents. They live in a spacious house with a large backyard in the suburbs with minimal traffic. Christopher’s parents are divorced, but they have come to an agreement concerning the child’s custody.
Their marriage broke when Chris was three and a half years old after his younger brother Mathew had died in his sleep of a sudden infant death syndrome. The children’s mother, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, was not able to help herself and, overwhelmed with grief, began abusing alcohol, which led to family tensions and quarrels. When the atmosphere turned completely unhealthy, the family split apart. Currently, Christopher’s mother is undergoing medical and psychological treatment; there is still hope that she might cope with the situation.
As for Christopher’s father, he fought in the Iraq war in 2003; presently, he is a U.S. marshal. As he spends most of his time at work, the only caregivers are Christopher’s grandparents and an occasional babysitter. His grandmother is an accomplished artist who has dedicated herself to the only grandchild in need. His grandfather is a former lawyer, retired, who loves the boy very much. Christopher attends a kindergarten five days a week for 3-4 hours.
When the case study began, Chris was three years old. He lived with both of his parents in the same neighborhood. His mother was about to give birth, and the family atmosphere seemed quite promising and healthy. Christopher used to spend much time in the backyard playing ball and having fun with the four pet-dogs. The turbulence that was to follow changed the boy’s life drastically, causing setbacks, misunderstandings, and worries.
Physically, Christopher is a well-developed, sturdy, and strong boy as he attends a karate school three times a week. He is in good health and spends most of his free time in the backyard in active play. He is learning to swim and roller-skate, climbs fences and runs with the dogs. There is a big indoor swimming pool in the house where Christopher likes to practice swimming with his grandfather. Christopher’s social skills have stuck as he enjoys being alone rather than socializing with his peers. Though he is happy to spend time with his grandparents, who cherish him, he looks satisfied to be involved in his own activities.
Up to now, Chris has not developed skills sufficient enough to start or join in the play with others. Sometimes, he fights in kindergarten, which has a tremendously negative impact on his relationship with other kids. They do not eagerly invite him in play, and he does not wish to adjust his behavior, which tends to create a vicious circle. Emotionally, Christopher is struggling because all of those events that affected his life to a great extent.
Cognitively, Christopher is showing a great ability to learn. He is under his charismatic grandmother’s influence, who takes him to exhibitions and spends much time telling him about great artists, masterpieces, and the process of creating artworks. While playing and talking to the child early development specialist, Christopher shows a strong ability to manipulate and retain information for completing new tasks.
When talking to his grandfather, Christopher demonstrates his inquisitive mind asking numerous questions about the world around him, his parents, and everything that worries him. However, he is not so open with strangers or peers. Verbally, Christopher does not show strong skills, which makes another reason why his socializing gets behind. His language development is being fostered by his grandmother’s efforts, who has a Hispanic origin. Most of the time, she speaks Spanish with Christopher; he prefers speaking English.
Based on the assessment, the plan of action can be suggested. Christopher’s ultimate need is to understand and accept all the changes that have occurred in his life. He has to find and realize his place in his new family of divorce, where the main caregiver is his grandmother. His father could contribute to Christopher’s psychological adaptation immensely by engaging more in the son’s life, spending more time together. To see a child psychologist would benefit Christopher’s emotional state, help him navigate his life turbulences, release tension, and overcome his aggression at kindergarten. His inability to socialize requires to be addressed as well. His caregivers have to make efforts to provide him with a safe, relaxing, and supportive environment.
Another ultimate need of the child is that he should be prevented from introverting. His development is dependent on his emotional state (according to the family system theory) and all his setbacks are conditioned by his family situation. Christopher needs to create strong attachments to build upon so he could progress well and master new skills and knowledge. It would be beneficial to engage in activities with other families, from the karate school, for example. His zone of proximal development lies within sports – karate and football might become keys to his inner world and help him start communicating (Follari, 2015).
He needs a strong role-model, which might be his father if he does not fail. Also, it would be beneficial to organize the day with the help of daily routines that are targeted at stress release and building relationships with other children.
Reference
Follari, L. (2015). Foundations and best practices in early childhood education: History, theories, and approaches to learning. 3rd Edition. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Higher Education.