Assignment 2: LASA 1: Assessment of Child’s Behavior
A thorough assessment of a child’s behavior is a very important and involved task. Too many
... [Show More] times individuals look at the child’s behavior and label the child as angry, aggressive, troublesome, etc. In this assignment, you will begin to apply many of the different dynamics that could be in play in a child’s life. You will analyze a case study (the one that you identified in Module 2: Working Ahead) to create an assessment of a child’s behavior by identifying the child’s role in the family, school, and peer groups.
Click here to download and review the case studies.
In this evaluation, you will ascertain the possible determinates of his or her behavior given what you have learned about the influences on a child such as family, peers, school, and community. You will review what type of role he or she may be playing in the family as well as in the school based on these dynamics. Keep in mind that this is an assessment of an individual in a community and not an introspective psychological type of assessment. Support your answers with information cited from at least two peer-reviewed academic sources and your textbook.
Choose a case study from the list provided, if you have not done that already.
Present the case by explaining the child’s behavior in light of your understanding of the ecology of the child. Give special attention to the following:
Family and social environment
Economic circumstances
Health care access
Physical environment and safety
Behavior
Education
Health
Apply your knowledge of these indicators to explain possible determinates of various aspects of the stated behaviors in the case study.
Given your understanding of the ecology of the child, of the family, and of socialization, identify the top three areas that seem to be the most influential in this child’s behavior. Support your answer with professional information from the text and two peer-reviewed research articles.
Review the role this child plays in his or her family and how that correlates with the expressed behavior.
Analyze the different theories of macrosystem and microsystem influences including parenting orientation and parenting style and how that impacts children. Then apply the theory that might best fit your selected case study.
Review the role this child plays in his or her school and peer group and how that correlates with the expressed behavior. Analyze the impact of the school and the peer group as a socializing agent, and identify the key areas of impact of both in this case study.
Write a 6-page paper (in addition to the title page and references page) in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources, including use of in-text citations and full references. Academic sources could include your textbook, required readings for this module, or academic journal articles found in the Argosy University online library. Make sure you write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.doc. For example, if your name is John Smith, your document will be named SmithJ_M3_A2.doc.
By the due date assigned, deliver your assignment to the Submissions Area.
Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsPresented the case by explaining the child’s behavior in light of students’ understanding of the ecology of the child giving special attention to: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. Applied knowledge of these indicators to explain possible determinates of various aspects of the stated behaviors in the case study.24Given their understanding of the ecology of the child, the ecology of the family, and the ecology of socialization, chose the top three areas that seem to be the most influential in this child’s behavior and supported their answer with professional information from the text and the two peer-reviewed research articles.28Reviewed the role this child plays in his or her family and how that correlates with the expressed behavior.24Analyzed the different theories of macrosystem and microsystem influences including parenting orientation and parenting style and how that affects children; then applied the theory that might best fit this particular case study.28Reviewed the role this child plays in his or her school and peer group and how that correlates with the expressed behavior.24Analyzed the impact of the school as a socializing agent and identify the key areas of impact in this case study. Analyzed the impact of the peer group as a socialization agent and identify the key areas of impact in this case study.28Writing StandardsOrganization (12)
Usage and Mechanics (12)
APA Elements (16)
Style (4)44Total:200
be sure to follow the grading rubric, last time i gave you one and did not follow and got a bad grade in the assignment
Case Studies for LASA1 and LASA2
Pick one case study and use it for completing both assignments:
Case study 1:
Brandy is a Caucasian girl, who just celebrated her sixth birthday, and is one of the youngest kids in her
first-grade class. Most of the school year has gone fairly well, but she lately has been having trouble at
school. Last week she disrupted class and threw her pencil across the room.
The teacher explained to the parents that she has been a bit “emotional” lately, but did not know why. Her
mom wondered if it was because she has recently transitioned from graduate school to a new job that
keeps her away from home a bit more than before.
Brandy generally likes school, but gets pulled out once or twice a week for special speech therapy as she
occasionally has some problems with a lisp. Her parents were hesitant about Brandy being pulled out of
class, but when she reported she was getting picked on at school by some classmates, they agreed to
the speech therapy.
At home, she has a supportive family and siblings (younger and older) with whom she gets along well.
Occasionally she will get into trouble for lying, but most often feels pretty badly about it once she is
caught. Her father also has a master’s degree with a full-time job, and she and her siblings attend an
after-school daycare program for a couple hours. She plays with the neighborhood kids and her siblings;
however sometimes Brandy has communication struggles with others due to her lisp. She loves sports,
and just finished playing soccer and is set to start t-ball within the next week or two.
Case study 2:
Brandon is an African-American eight-year-old child in third grade, who is in danger of having to repeat
the grade. He continues to struggle with being able to concentrate in class, and says he is “bored” when
students have to just sit and read; sometimes he talks and walks around the class and other times he
draws pictures and pays no attention at all. He frequently gets sent to the principal’s office for this
behavior, but does not seem to mind because the principal lets him play and gives him snacks (as he
always complains about being hungry). Often the principal compliments him on his artwork.
When his parents were told about his behavior, they were exasperated. The parents said he behaves
even more poorly at home, stealing and breaking his siblings’ things and sneaking food into his room. He
even has nightly bed-wetting accidents on a fairly regular basis (the doctor has ruled out physical
problems as a reason for these).
His mother works a part-time job at a local gas station when the kids are in school. His father used to
come home around dinnertime and was often tired; but he was recently laid off and is depressed and
spends a lot of time in bed.
Case study 3:
Jayant (or “Jay”) is a seventeen-year-old Indian student in his senior year in high school. He is taking
several classes at the local community college as part of an accelerated honors program. He never really
wanted to take these college classes, but was pressured by his extremely domineering father, who is a
professor of physics at one of the local universities.
Page 1 of 2 Child, Family, and Community Relationships ©2013 Argosy University
Johnny is falling behind with all his courses, particularly his psychology coursework. He says it is because
he keeps relating what he reads to his own life situation and problems. He tends to be alone most of the
time, although he is very curious about people and watches others interact. Jay has a social immaturity
about him that prevents him from making many friends. If he complains about not getting along with
others, his father reminds him he is not in school to socialize but to succeed in life.
He feels like he does not fit in anywhere at the school because his few acquaintances are not in the
accelerated honors program. This adds to the stress at home because he has no outlets from the
constant pressure and criticism from his father. He is often reminded that if his mother were still alive,
she’d be a resource and a buffer from his father.
Recently, he had to volunteer at a local community center as part of a course assignment, and chose to
work with the local Boys and Girls Club. He enjoyed this so much that he has decided to continue
volunteering even when the class ends.
Case study 4:
Soo-Kyung (or “Sue”) is a sixteen-year-old Korean student, with a history of self-harm, drug abuse, and
theft. She has to go to counseling at the school as a condition of her probation, and to have any chance
of having her record expunged when she is an adult.
Sue is usually shabbily dressed, has bad body odor, is hostile and refuses to open up or discuss anything
at length with her counselor. She has been seen around school with one kid and was seen talking to that
kid in the hall before she came into your office. You have found some information in her school file that
apprises you of some pertinent details of her past experiences: You learn that she had an alcoholic
mother, who was in and out of a series of relationships when Sue was a child, resulting in frequent moves
and a string of different schools. A period of sexual abuse by one of her mother’s boyfriends at the age of
14 led Sue to attempt suicide. Subsequently, she has frequently inflicted injuries on herself.
She finally moved out of her mother’s house and is living with an aunt, who although she does not have a
drug problem, works three jobs to provide for Sue and her five nieces and nephews, and is rarely home.
Sue loves helping out with the kids and likes her aunt. Her aunt comes to the school occasionally for
parent-teacher conferences, and will ask for suggestions or help, stating that she is trying to help Sue, but
has limited resources in terms of time and money.
Some ideas were used from Psychology Applied Learning Scenarios (PALS): A practical introduction to
problem-based learning using vignettes for psychology lecturers by Lin Norton funded by LTSN
Psychology. “All the materials provided in this pack are free to use in their original format or can be
adapted, giving acknowledgment to LTSN Psychology.” [Show Less]