
Child Case Study
InTASC Standard 1: Learner Development
The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences (InTASC, 2013).
Brief Description of Artifact
In the Fall of 2019, in my EDUC 121 Child and Adolescent Development class, I completed a child case study on a 16-year-old female sophomore in high school (Child A). After gaining parental permission and a detailed history of the child’s health and development as of yet, I compiled my initial thoughts on the child and began scheduling time for a few observations of Child A in their “natural habitat”. First, I observed Child A in their home while they played ping pong with their father. Although detailed, I was not able to get as much information as I had wished due to the child getting tired and going to work on homework after about a half-hour. In contrast, I was able to get a plethora of information when I observed Child A in their English class. After observing the child, I created a choice board, similar to one completed in my class previously. There were 4 parts total, I would complete one and the family would complete the other three on their own time as Child A gets closer to college. These activities were choosing schools to schedule a college visit for, choosing majors that interested the child, looking into the application process for ROTC (military training for college students), and looking at what branch of the military was most interesting and beneficial for Child A. Once all of the observations, activities, and information gathering was completed I summarized all of my findings in a PowerPoint and gave the family some comments and suggestions to help foster their child’s further development.
Analysis of What I Learned
Through this assignment, I have learned that the experiences or crises a child is presented with can affect different parts of their development and personality. When applying Erik Erikson's 8 stages of development I was able to pinpoint the outcomes of 2 different stages and the possible cause of those outcomes. First, in stage initiative vs. guilt (Mcleod, 2018), I noticed that Child A held a bit of guilt for being a financial burden on their family. The child has a desire to obtain a job as soon as possible to begin saving their money for clothes, school supplies, and possible college tuition. This may be caused by the parents’ tendency to discuss and argue about financial matters in front of Child A and their tendency to stress financial independence in their child. The second stage I was able to pinpoint was identity vs. role confusion (Mcleod, 2018). The mother of Child A has always allowed her children to explore their interests and foster their strengths in life. This has led to Child A having a strong idea of what they want to do with their education and skills in life and what type of person they want to become.
How This Artifact Demonstrates My Competency in InTASC standard 1
This artifact demonstrates my competence in standard 1, learner development because I can understand how children develop in life and identify the different stages of development in a child. I am also able to recognize patterns in the student's learning and development, such as the student’s struggle to manage their time effectively and the high standards they set for themself, and give the family strategies to help foster their child's development. It is important that I understand how a student’s physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and linguistic skills work together to provide challenging yet beneficial activities for the child that are appropriate for their stage of development in life. Doing so will help them grow not only academically but also socially, emotionally, and mentally into well-rounded members of society that have the proper knowledge and skill to succeed in life.
Parental Permission

Choice Board

InTASC Standards. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/resources/programs/interstate_teacher_assessment_consortium_(intasc).htms
Mcleod, S. (2018). Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development. Retrieved April 07, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html