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Object Permanence
Raleigh is 8 months old now and today I tried the object permanence test first discovered by Jean Piaget. Object permanence usually develops in children between 8-12 months and demonstrates that a child can still understand that an object exists even when it is no longer visible (pp. 149-150). This is an important step in cognitive develop. Raleigh knew that the object was still there when I hid it but still seemed to get confused when it wasn't where I had originally put it. -
First Words
Today Raleigh made a milestone in development when he spoke his first words at 12 months of age. His very first word was the name of my parents' dog and he even pointed at the dog as he said its name, which is a good example of language comprehension. First words are usually spoken around the time of an infant's first birthday and language comprehension is important because it shows that the infant actually understands the words it is saying (pp. 156-157). -
Potty Training
Raleigh is now 18 months and we are starting on potty training. Training is a gradual process that usually starts from anywhere between 18 to 30 months of age. In the past 200 to 300 years, toilet training was much more strict and even cruel if children couldn't learn it early enough. Research now shows that the earlier potty training starts, the longer the process actually takes (pp. 184-185). We will use positive reinforcement and give Raleigh the time he needs in order to learn. -
Developing Self Awareness
At 2 years of age, Raleigh begins to show signs of self-awareness indicated by newly developing emotions such as embarassment and shyness. Even in infancy there is evidence of self-awareness but it really begins to show as a toddler develops between the ages of 2 and 3 (pp. 203). Self-recognition and self-reflection are two of the most important elements of self-awareness because they show that a child can recognize itself and can also think of themselves as a person like they would others. -
Deferred Imitation
Raleigh is 3 years old and has begun playing with his toys like they are a parent and child. He likes to make the "parent" toy tell the "child" toy things that he has heard me or my spouse say which is an example of deferred imitation. Deferred imitation can begin anywhere from 6 weeks to 20 months old but Piaget proposed that it typically begins at about 18 months (pp. 188-189). Deferred imitation is the "ability to repeat actions observed an earlier time". -
Sports Participation
At 6 years old, Raleigh has taken an interest in sports. This shows that his gross motor development skills are improving so we decided to sign him up for swimming and water polo. Gross motor development advances from early to middle childhood and is characterized by an improvement in balance, coordination, agility, and reaction time (pp. 291-292). Gross motor skills are important because they increase physical activity levels which leads to overall better health. -
Fine Motor Skills Develop
Raleigh is 8 years old and his fine motor skills seem to be developing. He loves to draw and design things and loves to build things out of clay, papier mache, and other mediums. Fine motor skills begin to develop around 6 years old and reach adult maturity be the end of middle childhood. Fine motor skills usually include tasks like writing cursive or in developing countries, weaving rugs (pp.292-293). Fine motor skills are important because they are necessary skills to have in later life. -
Friendships and Social Skills
Raleigh is now 10 years old and seems to be a pretty popular kid. He has many friends and is apart of many social activities. Raleigh seems to possess good "social skills" which make him a likeable child. Social skills are important because they determine whether a child will have healthy relationships in it's life. Social skills include being "friendly, helpful, cooperative, and considerate" (pp. 321-322). Children with good social skills also are usually athletic and/or intelligent. -
Puberty
Raleigh is now 12 years old and is beginning to show his first signs of puberty. Puberty tends to hit boys between the ages of 10-17 (pp.343). Raleigh is normally pretty mild mannered but lately he has been sulky and unagreeable and has also shown a higher interest in girls. These changes are likely due to the increase of estrogens and androgens that are produced during puberty that cause many hormonal changes (pp. 342). -
Moral Development
At 14 years of age Raleigh is faced with a situation that shows his stage of moral development. According to Kohlberg's theory, Raleigh would be in the conventional reasoning stage of moral development because he bases what is right and wrong on the expectations of others. Kohlberg's stages develop over the adolescent period and his studies showed that the stages of moral reasoning would change with age (pp. 367-369).