Sasha is 3 and Cayley is 1. Cayley is beginning to walk which is about normal for her age. Sasha is small for her age and could be considered underdeveloped. Cayley still uses a bottle and sleeps with the bottle for comfort and still puts everything in her mouth. Much of this is normal, though fewer things should be going in the mouth by about this time. She is able to say a few words which is good (often second children speak less than the first child anyway), and her interest in the blocks that the CPS worker brings is a good sign. Sasha is curious and interested in things, but she does not speak much and she does not listen well to basic commands. She also is abusive towards her sister and mother, which is a sign that she has not received the necessary amount of physical stimulation and touch that is needed at this age (Perry, Szalavitz, 2006)
Significant Illness
Neither child shows signs of significant illness. However, there are indications of nutrition issues. The children are also suffering from a lack of spiritual nourishment, as the mother has said she has no used for religion and is evidently an alcoholic. The children are more than likely not being taught to pray or to have a spiritual life. Thus, the significant illness that they have may not clearly be manifested in the physical form and may need to be assessed in the psychological or psychosocial form (Briggs, Rayle, 2005). The house is a mess and the stench of garbage is in the air. Sasha has a bad cold and may have gone untreated for some time, and her growth appears to have been stunted to some degree, but Cayley appears to be okay at the time.
Nutrition and Exercise Issues
Nutrition issues are identifiable by the lack of food in the house. There is clearly not much for the children to eat, let alone get their proper nutritional intake. That is why Sasha is small for her age and most likely why she has a bad cold: she is inadequately clothed and inadequately fed. Because the neighborhood in which they live is crime-ridden and there are no parks to play in, neither child is likely to be getting enough exercise outdoors or to be getting much fresh air. There is garbage in the house and it is untidy. They do not live in a healthy environment conducive to growth.
Psychological Development
Cognitive Development
Sasha’s cognitive development shows positive signs. She is curious and alert, which signals that her mind is active—yet she is shy and does not communicate with many words. Cayley has the use of a couple words and she is walking and likes to play with the blocks. The amygdale and hippocampus are sections of the brain that help children at this age develop properly (Durston, Casey, 2006). These parts of the brain help the child to learn. If they are not developed, a child may appear to behave inappropriately and demonstrate little awareness of others (Li, Sheng, 2003). Sasha tends to make her sister cry so may be deficient in development of her cognition. Cayley appears...
References
Briggs, M., Rayle, A. (2005). Incorporating spirituality into core counseling courses: Ideas for classroom application. Counseling and Values, 50(1), 63-75.
Durston, S., Casey, B. J. (2006). What have we learned about cognitive development from neuroimaging? Neuropsychologia, 44, 2149-2157.
Eggum-Wilkens, N. D., Fabes, R. A., Castle, S., Zhang, L., Hanish, L. D., & Martin, C. L. (2014). Playing with others: Head start children's peer play and relations with kindergarten school competence. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(3), 345-356.
Li, Z., Sheng, M. (2003). Some assembly required: the development of neuronal synapses. Nature Reviews, 4, 833-841.
Mission and Values. (n.d.). Saint Leo University. Retrieved from http://www.saintleo.edu/about/florida-catholic-university.aspx
Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2006). The boy who was raised as a dog: And other stories from a child psychiatrist's notebook – What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing. New York, NY: Basic Books.
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