11/18/2014

Final Portfolio
Case Study
Florence DeBerry

EDU 144-H01
SUSAN WRIGHT

Date of Observation: November 16, 2014

Time of Observation: 1:30 p.m.

Age of Child Observed: 3 year old girl
Type of Setting: Friends home

Domain Observing (physical, social/emotional, or cognitive): Physical

Running Record Observations:

Child takes a ball and starts

Child is extremely active, and doesnt

throwing it with her mom.

want to sit still once she starts

Child picks up the ball when she

playing.

drops it.

Comments:

Child has good hand-eye

Child starts to run up and down the

coordination and can usually throw a

stairs, telling everyone to watch her

ball in the direction she wants it to

do it.

go.

Child is able to go up and down

stairs without help.

What developmental milestones did you observe in this domain?

Some developmental milestones that I observed from this domain were:

Climbs well

Walks down stairs alone, placing both feet on each step

Bends over easily without falling

Date of Observation: November 16, 2014

Time of Observation: 1:00 p.m.

Age of Child Observed: 3 year old girl

Type of Setting: My home

Domain Observing (physical, social/emotional, or cognitive): Social/Emotional

Running Record Observations:

Child tells her mother how she is

Comments:

feeling. Mommy, Im sad. Im

happy. Im tired.

Child takes her toys and starts

Child is good at voicing her needs to

her mom.

Child is able to go off by herself

without her parent close by.

playing alone.

Child goes outside with a friend

without giving her mom a second
glance.

What developmental milestones did you observe in this domain?

Some developmental milestones for this domain that I observed were:

Separates easily from parents

Expresses a wide range of emotion

Date of Observation: November 16, 2014

Time of Observation: 12:30 p.m.

Age of Child Observed: 3 year old girl

Type of Setting: My home

Domain Observing (physical, social/emotional, or cognitive): Cognitive

Running Record Observations:

Childs mother starts asking her to

Comments:

match pictures to objects in the

room.

knows with pictures.

Child is able to put together a simple

puzzle by herself.

Child starts playing with a puzzle,

matching up the pieces in the right

Child is able to match things she

Child has a good imagination and

places.

can demonstrate knowledge of her

Child starts to have a pretend tea

life and things happening around

party with her friend in the middle of

her.

the floor with a tea set.

Child pours tea and coffee for

her friend and herself, while they
have a full conversation.

What developmental milestones did you observe in this domain?

Some developmental milestones for this domain that I observed were:

Matches an object in hand or room to a picture in a book

Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people

Completes puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces

Observation Summary

The child that I chose to observe is 3 years old. She stays at home with her mom and is an
only child. She is very active and wants to try new things, loving every minute of it. Her
temperament is easy going most of the time, and is able to adjust to new things and change in
routines without much trouble.
According to Erik Eriksons psychosocial model, she is leaving the Autonomy vs. Shame
and Doubt stage and is entering the Initiative vs. Guilt stage. I think this because she has
already become independent and is now becoming eager to learn new things and skills on her
own. She seems to have a very positive attachment to her mom. Sometimes, she doesnt want
to leave her moms side, but she will go and play by herself or with others. It seems to
depend on the environment. I also noticed though that when her grandpa came to pick them
up, it is all about her grandpa and doesnt seem to want her mom at all.

Her cognitive development is her strongest developmental domain. I think this is the case
because she can think and do things on her own and carry on a conversation with someone
else, child or adult. I saw this when she sat and had a tea party with a friend. They spent 30
minutes sitting in the floor having a conversation back and forth.

Her social/emotional development is also a strong point because she understands other
peoples feelings, and can determine/say if they look sad or happy, etc. Her lowest
developmental domain also could be cognitive because she doesnt want to listen when she is
told something at times, and doesnt like to be told what to do. I observed this when her mom

tried telling her not to do something that would have caused her to get hurt, and she threw a
fit every time her mom told her no.

Her most typical developmental domain is her physical development. She can climb well,
walk down stairs alone, and can hold a pencil in a writing position. I saw this when the child
sat in my lap and wrote on paper, while telling everyone that she was working on schoolwork
and drew shapes and some letters as well. She also climbed up and down the stairs outside
over and over, making a game out of it.
There are lots of different activities that her caregivers could do to help the childs
development. For her physical development, she could ride a tricycle and build a climbing
wall. For cognitive development, she could play matching games with her and give her dolls
and other things to play make believe with. With social/emotional, you could teach her how
to express her emotions appropriately and try to keep a steady routine for her.
I feel that her mother is meeting the childs needs because she takes care of her
and protects her. Her mom allows her to play and explore her environment in her own way,
and is always there to help explain or teach new things. I feel that the child is developing the
way she is supposed to and is being given the best things to help that development.

Sources

Mooney, Carol Garhart. (2010). Theories of Attachment: An Introduction to

Bowlby, Ainsworth, Gerber, Brazelton, Kennell, & Klaus. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf
Press.

Wittmer, Donna, S., Petersen, Sandra H., Puckett, Margaret B. (2013). The Young
Child: Development from Prebirth Through Age Eight. New Jersey: Pearson
Education Inc.

http://www.preschoollearningcenter.org/images/upload/developmental_checklist.pdf