Parenting Strategies for Early Childhood Development Essay

Introduction

Providing opportunities for early childhood development is an essential step in creating an environment in which children will be able to acquire the skills and knowledge that will help them integrate into the community successfully. However, if the parents or the parent is neglectful, children are likely to fail to acquire the necessary abilities, thus, not only failing to gain the necessary knowledge but also developing a range of health issues, including problems with the cognitive development process (Hutchison, 2012). As the case study of a single mother, Aayla, and her children, Sasha (3 years old) and Cayley (1-year-old), shows quite graphically, there is a strong need to help the mother reconsider her parenting approach and use the strategies that will help reinforce early childhood development. Otherwise, Sasha and Cayley will be unable to acquire the necessary skills.

Child 1: Sasha (3)

Part I

• Completion of physical development tasks. The fact that Sasha does not copy her mother’s behavior in an attempt to develop the appropriate patterns clearly is a reason for concern. The fact that she cannot dress also shows that she needs further support from a cognitive development expert.
• Significant illness/disease. The cold can be viewed as a minor issue, yet the bruises on Sasha’s arms point to an obvious problem.
• Nutrition and exercise issues. Little to no information has been provided about the food that Sasha consumes. However, judging by the physical characteristics of the girl, i.e., her weight and height, it can be assumed that she is seriously undernourished (Marotz, 2014).

Part II

• Cognitive development. Sasha’s cognitive development is currently threatened. Although her curiosity is typical for a child of her age, the lack of communication skills implies that she needs additional opportunities for cognitive development. It is important for her to create prerequisites for abstract thinking, which she may miss unless she is provided with an appropriate intervention (Hutchison, 2012).
• Cultural development. The lack of connection with the community may become the reason for the child to have a poor understanding of her culture and the associated needs. Therefore, it is imperative to provide her with the necessary information in a manner that will help her learn the associated information fast (e.g., games and similar types of interactions).
• Emotional development. The emotional development of the child leaves much to be desired. According to the description, Sasha does not receive enough emotional support from her mother. As a result, she lacks essential skills of expressing and understanding her emotions, as well as expressing empathy with the people around her (McCarthy & Barbot, 2016).
• Self-concept, self-esteem, and empowerment. Sasha has been showing the propensity to feel empowered since the report claimed that she had frequent conflicts with her mother. Nevertheless, the physical abuse that she suffers on a regular basis may impede the process of self-esteem and self-concept development (Kaplan, 2013).
• Significant Life issues/events and diversity issues. The fact that none of the community members seems to come from the same background as Sasha and her mother may become a problem when helping the child develop a sense of belonging.

Part III

• Family environment. Since Aayla is a single mother, Sasha does not have a strong father figure. Furthermore, the physical abuse and the emotional mistreatment that she receives from her mother aggravates the situation.
• Social institutions. Despite the fact that there is a free preschool facility in the neighborhood, the fact that Sasha’s mother is unaware of it makes it inaccessible to the child.
• Spirituality. Since there is no church in the area, there is no opportunity for Aayla to promote spirituality to Sasha.
• Community and social network. Seeing that the neighborhood is far from being friendly, the local residents cannot be viewed as the possible source of support for Sasha. Furthermore, communicating with the members of the neighborhood directly poses a significant threat to her wellbeing as most of them are likely to be perfect strangers to her and her mother (Lytle, London, & Bruck, 2015).
• Discrimination/oppression and economic factors. The fact that the child comes from an extremely poor background with a single mother and no child support money from her father, she might be bullied by some of the local children. However, given the fact that the community is very poor, the possibility of other children having greater financial support is rather low. Therefore, at present, the threat of being a victim of bullying is rather low (Hutchison, 2012).
• Resilience/strengths. The grandmother, who seems to disapprove of Aayla’s life choices, can be viewed as the source of support for Sasha. Similarly, the preschool facility mentioned above may provide extra opportunities for development.

Part IV: Core Value of Personal Development

By definition, the Core Value of Personal Development as defined by the Saint Leo University includes the qualities such as Excellence, Community, Respect, Personal Development, Responsible Stewardship, and Integrity (Student affairs division, 2016). Based on the evidence provided in the case study, however, one may conclude that Sasha’s rates in each of the identified domains are very low. Because of the lack of parental support in her cognitive and emotional development, she is incapable of building a strong and positive image of herself.

Child 2: Cayley (1)

Part I

• Completion of physical development tasks. Cayley’s physical development can be deemed as positive. Seeing that the child starts to walk, it can be assumed that she meets the physical standards for her age. However, the fact that she still has the grabbing function that most children get rid of by the age of one shows that she needs assistance in her development (Schlinger, 2013).
• Significant illness/disease. At present, there are no obvious health concerns for Cayley. However, the fact that her mother drinks heavily and, probably, was drinking during pregnancy shows that she may have developmental issues and the associated problems (Andrare, Fisberg, & Micheli, 2013).
• Nutrition and exercise issues. Cayley’s nutrition habits should also be viewed as a major problem since, by the age of one, toddlers are supposed to consume not only milk but also other types of food, including meat, fruit, vegetables, etc. Therefore, it is highly possible that the child is undernourished.

Part II

• Cognitive development. When considering the specifics of Cayley’s cognitive development, one must bear in mind that the child is only one year old. Therefore, specific tests must be unto identify the level of her progress. Nevertheless, much like her sister, she seems to show signs of delayed development. For instance, the fact that she is only capable of using one or two words when communicating her needs and cannot form coherent phrases shows that she needs further support.
• Cultural development. Likewise, the age of the child can be viewed as an obstacle to determining the level of her cultural development. The fact that the child is not trying to mimic her mother but, instead, expresses her anger in a very loud and obvious manner shows that there might be a problem in promoting cultural development. Particularly, the ability of the child to communicate her needs and emotions must be addressed as an evident area of concern (McCoy, Black, Daelmans, & Dua, 2016).
• Emotional development. Similarly to Sasha, Cayley clearly has issues with her emotional development. For example, the fact that she only knows 1-2 words and is incapable of building longer phrases clearly is a reason for concern. The child clearly needs delicate yet consistent scaffolding so that she could acquire the necessary vocabulary and develop the social skills that she will require later on (Adams, Jensen, & Chemtob, 2013).
• Self-concept, self-esteem, and empowerment. Cayley’s self-concept might be somewhat damaged due to the fact that she has not been receiving enough care from her mother. Thus, it is important to make sure that the girl should be transferred to a loving and caring environment.
• Significant life issues/events and diversity issues. The absence of other members of the community of Jamaican descent may serve as a roadblock on the way to successful development.

Part III

• Family environment. Despite the fact that Cayley is only a toddler, the unhealthy family environment in which she lives must have already had its toll on her. The fact that she gets hit a lot by her mother creates prerequisites for psychological trauma.
• Social institutions. The free preschool facility in the vicinity can be deemed as a possible source for providing Cayley with the assistance, resources, and support that she needs. However, Aayla needs to be informed better on the infrastructure of the neighborhood since she is completely unaware of this opportunity.
• Spirituality. The absence of religious institutions means that there is currently no way to provide a foil for developing Cayley’s spirituality.
• Community and social network. The community clearly lacks the elements that contribute to the development of a one-year-old. The failure of the mother to use the services of the nursery in the vicinity does not allow Cayley to receive the care that she needs.
• Discrimination/oppression and economic factors. The high poverty rates by which the neighborhood is characterized may become the defining factor for Cayley to be discriminated against in the future.
• Resilience/strengths. The grandmother that criticizes her daughter’s lifestyle and seems to have a better understanding of childrearing can be considered a possible source of resilience for Cayley. However, it is essential to help the two builds stronger relationships.

Part IV: Core Value of Personal Development

Although like Sasha, Cayley has not been provided with enough attention, it is hard to tell currently whether she has gained the necessary level of personal development. Given the fact that she is only one year old, it is impossible to identify any semblance of self-awareness in her. Nevertheless, the fact that her vocabulary is very restricted shows that she needs further development to create prerequisites for further cognitive development.

Conclusion

The case under analysis can be viewed as the primary example of neglectful parenting. Although the effects of the mother’s inadequate upbringing methods might seem barely noticeable at present, they are likely to snowball until the children fail to develop the essential cognitive and communicational skills. Therefore, it is imperative that an intervention should be provided. Particularly, the children should be taught the principal means of managing their emotions and acquiring the necessary skills, whereas the mother must receive information about early childhood development and the role of parents in it. Thus, prerequisites for addressing the problem can be created.

References

Adams, R. E., Jensen, P. S., & Chemtob, C. N. (2013). Does a one-day educational training session influence primary care pediatricians’ mental health practice procedures in response to a community disaster? Results from the Reaching Children Initiative (RCI). International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 15(1), 3-14.

Andrare, L. M., Fisberg, A., & Micheli, D. D. (2013). Cognitive aspects of fetal alcohol syndrome in young adults: Two case studies. Interação em Psicologia, 17(2), 217-223.

Hutchison, E. (2012). Essentials of human behavior. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Kaplan, H. B. (2013). The social psychology of self-referent behavior. New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media.

Lytle, N., London, K., & Bruck, M. (2015). Young children’s ability to use two-dimensional and three-dimensional symbols to show placements of body touches and hidden objects. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 134(1), 30–42.

McCarthy, J. B., & Barbot, B. (2016). The need for research on intellectual disabilities and severe psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Journal of Mental Disorders and Treatment, 2(1), 1-3.

McCoy, D. C., Black, M. M., Daelmans, B., & Dua, T. (2016). Measuring development in children from birth to age three at the population level. Web.

Marotz, L. (2014). Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Schlinger, H. D. (2013). A behavior analytic view of child development. New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media.

Student affairs division. (2016). Web.