[lucytompkins1995]

Task C Case studies

Babies and children’s development from conception to 7 years can be influenced by personal and external factors. Use the following case studies to help answer the questions.

Case study 1
Callum is two years old and has Spina Bifida, which affects his vision and muscle co-ordination. Due to her low income, Callum’s mum was not able to eat a balanced diet nor did she take folic acid supplements when she was pregnant. Callum’s family live in a one bedroom flat, but his bedroom is damp and the family have difficulty paying for heating, food and clothing. The nearest safe park area for Callum to play in is one mile away and as a result of concerns about safety and lack of transport, they rarely go out.

Case study 2
Jack is six years old and lives with his dad. He loves to dance and his dad takes him around the country for dance competitions. He recently won a prestigious dance competition and his dad sent the photograph into the local newspaper. He has high self-esteem, eats a healthy balanced diet and is generally fit, attending local gymnastics classes to support his balance and co-ordination. Jack wants to become a classical dancer when he grows up.

Case study 3
Joel will soon be seven years old. Joel‘s father is an alcoholic and regularly threatens his mother and constantly berates her. He has witnessed his father kick and slap his mother who is timid, frightened and has low self-esteem. Joel regularly wets his bed, complains of stomach aches, is nervous and has begun to stammer his words. He also suffers from asthma. During and after her pregnancy
Joel’s mum suffered from depression and smokes constantly.

Case study 4
Clementina is four years old, lives with her travelling/gypsy family and has dyslexia. Due to her transient background, she has not attended pre-school regularly. Clementina’s parents explain that due to their constant travelling, their own poor experience of school and their fear of leaving their daughter, they are very apprehensive about her starting school. The initial assessment of Clementina’s is that she is a happy child, but lacks self-confidence, particularly with her peers, and she appears to have development delays in terms of co-ordination and balance.

For each case study:

• identify the different reasons why development may not follow the expected pattern and state the areas of development that may be affected. (ref 3.1)

• explain the personal factors that influence children’s development. These will include:
- maternal health
- health status
- disability
- sensory impairment
- learning difficulties. (ref 3.2)

• analyse the external factors that influence children’s development in the case studies. These will include:
- poverty and deprivation
- family environment and background
- domestic violence
- exposure to substance use or misuse. (ref 3.3)