Sunday, September 28, 2008

Assignment 4

1. What activities and experiences you and your child have engaged in might be promoting healthy behavioral practices and an interest in physical activity?

Well Sky seems to be very interested in outdoor activities as well as some indoor activities.  Sky likes to play with a little basketball, throw baseballs, and run around with other neighborhood children, however she seems to get bored with these activities.  Sky  really enjoys riding her tricycle around the block, so whatever activity Sky is more interested in on that particular day, we both try to accompany her and make it more enjoyable for her.  I feel it is very important for Sky to get at least an hour of physical activity a day, in order to keep her healthy and in shape.  I am excited that Sky enjoys outdoor activities.  Sky also enjoys watching educational TV, however she sometimes looses focus.  In order for Sky to get the most out of the educational programs we started recoding the shows and watching them with Sky and trying to get her more involved with the program.  I think that if we keep this strategy up then Sky will gain more interest in the programs.

 

2. Describe development of your child’s language and cognitive skills and discuss how these might be affecting his or her interactions with you & your responses.

Sky has again scored above average on her language skills, which makes my job a lot easier.  Sky seems to respond very well with verbal instructions and is learning very fast.  We are happy that Sky’s language skills are developing well, she is pretty much speaking full sentences and that makes it easier for both myself and Sky, for example when I tell Sky she needs to do something she can understand easier by knowing what I expect.  On the other hand it makes it easier for me because she can use her words and tell me what she needs, for example if she is hungry, tired, or has to go to the bathroom.  Sky’s cognitive skills are a little shaky, she gets smarter and smarter as time goes on but she lacking in the area of copying designs, solving picture puzzles, and building block towers.  This has never been one of Sky’s strong points and we seem to be having some problems in overcoming this situation.  So my plan is to involve more cognitive thinking activities in order to promote Sky’s abilities, also it will help Sky interact with us better when it comes to setting the dinner table or putting away dishes.

 

3. How well is your child adapting to social situations in the home and outside the home? Does your child have any behavior or emotional problems at this point? Why do you think these problems are occurring and what are you doing about them?

Sky is doing very well in social situations and I am very proud of that.  A while ago we were having problems with Sky interaction with new faces, but she has several little friends at school and is becoming a leader when it comes to activities.  I think that the persistency of having Sky adapt to new situations has finally paid off.  Sky is doing well at home for the most part as well, the only problem we have run it too is, Sky is acting more like a baby sometimes and seems to be more moody at times.  I think it is because we now have a new baby in the home and Sky might not know how to deal with the situation yet.  We are just going to continue to support her and I’m sure this is just a phase that will pass with some time.  Also when Sky is acting like a baby we are going to treat her like a baby, maybe that will help stop the behavior.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Assignment 3

1.  There has been three environmental changes that have happened to Sky and two of them have influenced her behavior as of this far.  The first change came when I lost my job and we had to downsize our apartment and move to a rougher part of town.  During this situation Sky became moody and was tougher to deal with.  Secondly Sky has just recently changed her daycare setting from an infant daycare to a toddler day care.  Sky was acting up at daycare in the beginning but after a while Sky seems to have adjusted very well.  The newest environmental change in Sky’s life is her mommy is pregnant again but, we have not told Sky yet.  We are waiting for the correct time to explain to Sky what is going on with mommy.

 2.  Sky is doing very well around the house, Sky is becoming more independent and getting good at following routine events like brushing her teeth.  Sky does still need a little encouragement and reminding for some things like taking a bath and such but, for the most part Sky is doing well.  We have not had too many problems with Sky not listening, I think it is due to the consistency of our rules and constantly enforcing them.  The only problem we are having right now is potty training Sky, I don’t really see it as a problem of not listening too us though.  Sky is lacking a little bit of self control when it comes to potty training issues but, we are going to continue to work on the problem.  Sky is pretty good with children but she does have her moments.  The only time we seem to have an issue with Sky getting along with other children is when her favorite toy is involved or another child tries to take a toy away from her.  I think it is a typical toddler reaction and it will eventually work itself out when Sky understands the meaning of sharing.

 

3.I have noticed that a lot of my parenting decision’s is grouped in with Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental theory, mainly due to this statement “children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world.”  What this means to me is that you have to let your child live their own life, it doesn’t mean you do not have to enforce any rules but you should let them explore on their own and create the world they live in through their own eyes. Piaget also talked about rewards from adults, I have not been rewarding Sky with toys and gifts but with a hug and a pat on the back, so I feel that Piaget’s way of thinking represents parts of my parenting skills.  Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory plays a big part in the way I am trying to raise Sky based on this statement “ in particular, cooperative dialogues with more knowledgeable members of society-is necessary for children to acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that make up a community’s culture.”  What this theory means to me is, children need to be shown the way when young in order to function appropriately in society.  That is why when Sky throws a fit about a toy I don’t tell her to go hit the other kid who took her toy, instead I talk to her about sharing and being generous.  I think it is very important to raise our children with good morals and ethics because they are the next generation too come.  Lastly Information processing has played a major role in my parenting.  I am a firm believer that you can do anything you put you mind to, but it depends on how you break the information down and secondly how you act on the information.  In the beginning Sky was having a hard time playing hide and seek but as I persisted to play the game with her and she became better because the more times we played the better she could process the information.  The same scenario has recently presented itself with the issue of potty training Sky.  It might take a little while but the more she tries the better she will get at processing the information when her body tells her I have to go to the bathroom and she processes that information and goes potty on the toilet.  That is why I am so consistent with her so she can develop her own information processing techniques. 

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Assignment 2

1.     According to Piaget’s stages of Cognitive Development Sky is right on track with Piaget’s period of development. Sky is very active in game playing activities and has truly begun to have much better problem solving skills.  During Sky’s period of 8 months we played Hide and Seek with toys, every time I would hide the toy Sky would see were I put it and have know problem finding it, but when I would change the hiding spot Sky could know longer find the toy.  Now Sky is 18 months and is able to find the toy in several different hiding spots.  This relates to the Cognitive skills because she is using her eyes to find the toy, her ears to listen were I’m at in the house when I’m hiding the toy, and her hands to physically pick the toy up.  However Sky still has some improvements to work on when it comes to imitating building blocks.  On the same topic of Problem Solving in regards to Information Processing, Sky is doing well in this area.  I like the statement of “the view of development is one of continuous change”.  Due to this statement I have come to believe that Sky is doing excellent.  Sky is always changing and adapting to her new situations that she’s faced with.  Sky is still a little shy but continuously gaining confidence.  My progress report stated that Sky is below average in problem solving but we are currently working on that.

 

2.     Sky’s activity is great, she is constantly engaging in play time and is very active.  Sky doesn’t seem to sleep more than average in my opinion.  I’m happy with her activity because it also doesn’t feel as if she is too active and placing stress on us (parents).  Sky’s Sociability is still a little slow to warm up at 19 months.  Sky just takes a little while to feel comfortable around new people but once she is placed in that setting she eventually warms up.  We have been given the advice to keep taking Sky to playgroups in order to work on her sociability.  Emotionality of Sky is fairly easy at this point.  Sky is pretty easy going and doesn’t seem to throw too many fits.  When Sky was observed, the observant thought Sky was very happy and content.  Aggressiveness VS. Cooperativeness of Sky.  Sky always seems to be cheerful for the most part and doesn’t seem to be highly aggressive.  The only time Sky has really become aggressive is when another child try’s to take away a toy from her, which I find to be generally common while in this age group.  Self Control of Sky has not really been tested as of this far.  We have had a few situations that needed discipline but overall Sky seems to have good self control.  Sky’s temperament has been constant up until 18 months.  We have not had to make any drastic changes in the way we discipline Sky other than being sticklers on rules.  Goodness of fit is a great way for parents to understand how to approach changes in the child’s life.  The best example I can give is the way Sky is very slow to warm up, in the beginning Sky would cry if someone other than us would hold her.  So in order to change Sky’s reaction to these situations we have held her and introduced her to the new person until she feels comfortable enough to be held.  She is now beginning to warm up faster than before so as you can see the Goodness of Fit is working in this particular situation.

 

3.     I was not really surprised when I read the examiners report.  I felt that Sky’s development for the most part was close to the examiners findings.  The one part of Sky’s development that has constantly needed work and was mentioned in the report is Sky’s attachment issues.  From day one Sky has been extremely attached to mom but with some work we balanced out the attachment to be more equally shared by both of us.  Now we are running in to the problem of Sky not being as social as we would like because of her attachment issues.  So we are going to continue to take sky to play grounds and activities involving other children to try to get her attachment issue less of a problem.

 

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Assignment 1

1. How does your baby’s eating, sleeping and motor development compare to the typical developmental patterns?

Well Sky is still having a lot of diarrhea and we are working on trying to supplement in different types of food in order for her to be able to digest better and not get sick all the time from the food that she is eating currently.  Sky also has gotten a cold a few times so are focus is also to keep her away from sick people or do the best we can.  Sky is a fairly good sleeper for the most part the only problem were having right now is when we lay her down to go to sleep sometimes she cries for a while but other than that its not too bad.  Well Sky has good motor development for her age right now, she is crawling, sitting up, and standing but she hasn't yet figured out how to walk. Sky is pretty much right on track as far the "typical development pattern" is concerned

2. At 8 months of age was your child an “easy”, “slow-to-warm-up”, or “difficult” baby in terms of Thomas and Chess’s classic temperamental categories? On what do you base this judgement?

Sky is slow to warm up right now but i know we can change that.  She does pretty well for the most part but Sky is cautious around new people and situations, but warms up fairly quickly to friendly people and to new interesting activities and then begins to vocalize a lot and makes eye contact.  I think that the more social activities that we can put Sky in, will benefit her in the future.

3. How is your child’s attachment to you and your partner developing? What is happening at the 3-month and 8-month periods that might affect attachment security according to Bowlby and Ainsworth, and various research studies?

She is still pretty attached to mom but after a little while longer it will be okay, i guess that is to be expected though.   Right now I am working on spending a little more time with her so she isn't always dependent on her mother. I do not want to spend so much time with her though that she feels abandoned by her mother.  We are also still trying to get her to be comfortable when she is in a new setting but sometimes its a little rough.  When Sky is upset she generally likes to be comforted by her mother but when mom isn't around i do my best and sometimes she rejects my attempt. I think that Sky will be fine with her attachment and security issues.  We are not shunning her away from the outside world because we want her to be very social and fun.  Security of her parents is important and we will continue to make her feel safe and loved.