Identifying Developmental Issues - Assignment Example

Assessment Three – Identifying Developmental Issues Case Study One Question Elsie seems to have undergone tremendous amount of change in recent times. The physical changes present in Elsie are based on her growing age. She is currently seventy three years old with feeble eyesight and the fact that she had fallen while being alone, which resulted in bruises on her face and upper arms, implies that her body mechanisms along with organs have become more prone to internal and external injuries. There seems to be a contraction of nerve cells which has slowed down the activity of brain and other critical parts of the body. Cognitive changes are visible in the form of Elsie’s altered reasoning processes as she is unable to handle the banking related activities any more, with Joan doing that on her behalf. In addition, she is no longer capable of performing the household chores and other tasks which require basic levels of intelligence, memory and information processing. As far as the emotional changes are concerned, it can be inferred from the case study that her general feelings and sentiments have changed with the emotions of fear and sadness assuming a more prominent role, as exhibited during the situation when Elsie cries on the notion of being transferred to an aged care facility. The emotional changes have played a major role in her decreased self confidence. The social changes in Elsie have been quite discerning as she has ceased interaction with the outside world, with Joan handling all the shopping, bill paying and laundry activities for her. This suggests that Elsie’s communication with the society has shrivelled rapidly over the last few years. Question 2 Elsie’s developmental status can be assessed by adopting a variety of research methods and techniques such as interviews, observations, self reports, evaluation by others and assessments on the basis of performance and psychophysiology. In my opinion, the most relevant method to assess her developmental status would be to conduct a clinical interview with her. This is because such an interview would not only reveal direct and indirect information about her through verbal and non verbal cues, but also help in establishing an understanding with her, which could prove to be useful in extracting pertinent information about her past too. However, considering Elsie’s age, the interview will have to be done in a cautious manner, keeping in mind her cognitive and physical deficiencies (Cavanaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2006). Question 3 In order to examine this situation completely, I would need more information about Elsie. Firstly, it would be very difficult to proceed ahead with the case without learning about Elsie’s recent behaviour in a detailed manner. For this purpose, Joan would be the ideal person to contact as she has been taking care of Elsie in recent times and therefore, she must be aware of the different behaviours, attitudes and emotions displayed by Elsie in different situations. Hence, there is a need to conduct an interview with Joan as early as possible. The house cleaner can also provide useful information in this regard. Along with that, information about Elsie’s past is also of great significance in assessing her current situation as it will help in determining the changes in her personality traits over the course of time. These details can be obtained from Doris and Allen as well. Question 4 Elsie seems to be suffering from several developmental issues. Firstly, her physical health has declined sharply as indicative from her weak eyesight and injury sustained while falling over. As Allen and Joan have suspected, there appear to be symptoms of dementia in Elsie. Though developmental issues are not a novelty at such period of an age, yet Elsie’s shrinking cognitive ability and potential signs of Dementia have causes other than aging. In my view, a potent cause can be the loss of her husband, who died two years ago. This might have had a strong internal negative impact on Elsie as she lost someone with whom she lived for years and shared feelings and views. This incident has led to her social isolation as she finds herself alone for most of the time with Joan only visiting for two days a week. The risks associated with the issues faced by Elsie are quite threatening as dementia can occur in more than one form at the same time, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form (Cayton, 2007). It has the ability to seriously impact higher mental processes, which can lead to death as well. Question 5 There exist clear indicators which suggest that Elsie’s life has serious issues. These indicators include Elsie’s inability to deal with social interactions in the form of shopping, laundry, and paying bills. The cognitive functions of memory, problem solving and attention seem to have been affected the most. Her frustration with life is evident as she cries when asked about going to an aged care facility. However, she trusts Allen and Joan in a blindfold manner despite the fact that there have been signs of carelessness on the part of Joan as she has not taken Elsie to the general practitioner for over six months. Question 6 The major issue faced by Elsie is of dementia, around which all other problems seem to revolve. Diagnosis of dementia is possible when the symptoms have been observable for six months (Sadock, Kaplan, & Sadock, 2007). Hence, in this case, the diagnosis can be initiated by developing a systematic remedy strategy based on cognitive and mental testing, thorough laboratory tests and scanning (MRI or CT). For further assessment of these issues, I would refer to a specialist, particularly a neuropsychologist or a geriatric internist. Case Study Two Question 1 In order to obtain more information about Shane, I would like to personally observe him for a day. I plan to observe him while he communicates his needs through symbol boards so that I can assess his facial expressions in addition to his emotions, attitude and behaviour at that time. I would also like to monitor his fine motor skills by providing him different objects to handle. Furthermore, observing his behaviour in a moderately crowded place, under controlled settings can also provide valuable insights. Question 2 According to Piaget theory of cognitive development, children acquire the ability to understand and interpret knowledge through practical experience. In the case of Shane, he is currently in the late adolescence stage where individuals generally become autonomous in most aspects. However, Shane being disabled on several fronts exhibits dependant behaviour and is going through a very precarious development state. In terms of the cognitive theory, it is evident that the thinking and reasoning processes of Shane have not developed. His mental processes, observable from his activities, reflect that he suffers from serious cognitive issues. Applying the social theory, it can be seen that Shane’s interaction with the society is minimum. In fact, he can demonstrate aggressive behaviour on occasions. Consequently, these factors have contributed to his socially inept behaviour. Moral theory which explains the development of morality in individuals suggests that morality never emerged and grew in Shane, primarily due to cognitive discrepancies. The emotions of shame, guilt, consideration and compassion which constitute a vital element of moral development never existed in Shane. Psychological theory, which examines mind through the study of behaviour, also provides inferences no different to other theories in this case. The discomfited demeanour of Shane is evocative of the mental health crisis which he is bearing (Steinberg, Bornstein, Vandell, & Rook, 2010). Question 3 (a) At the moment, Shane requires personal support to accomplish even the most basic of tasks. Hence, personal support should be provided to him; however, at the same time, the support provided should gradually decline with time in a systematic manner so that Shane learns to become independent as much as personal care is concerned. (b) It is suitable enough to take Shane to a movie (cartoon or comedy), however, under the supervision of a capable personal care staff member. Such a measure can help in reducing Shane’s social ineptness, thereby taking the first step to make him adapt to the societal environment. Yet, proper arrangements such as the booking of a special seat should be made for the trip considering the problem of incontinence associated with Shane. (c) Under supervision, it will be a great step to indulge Shane in such an activity as it will enhance his thinking and reasoning abilities, thus positively influencing his cognitive processes. Question 4 I have always been passionate with regard to humanity service. If given an opportunity, I would readily like to work with Shane regardless of his disability. Determination has been one of the key principles in my life and I have confidence to play a substantial role in making Shane normal. Question 5 Though this would be a really precarious situation, however, in such a case, the first step that I would take is to inform the security staff at the residential care home so that they can control Shane’s behaviour. Subsequently, it would be my duty to inform the senior authorities of the residential care home about the matter so that they can take the appropriate actions to deal with it. In my view, I can never blame Shane for such an act. In fact, it is the duty of the support staff to take precautionary measures whenever he is taken outside. However, if any legal measure exists for such type of a case, then it should be adhered to. Question 6 The three risk factors associated with Shane’s developmental issues are: high susceptibility to abuse and mistreatment, mental infirmity and physical health concerns. People with disabilities especially under eighteen, such as Shane, are highly exposed to abuse of all types: physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, legal, financial, etc (Lau, Krase, & Morse, 2008). Another risk factor in Shane’s case is his mental health, which, if it aggravates further, can prove to be quite dangerous not only for him but people around him as well. In the end, the third risk factor entails physical health issues. Jane’s poor fine motor skills can lead to a serious injury or accident. Moreover, the problem of incontinence can exacerbate in future. Question 7 According to organizational policies and procedures, the reporting and documenting should de bone in a professional and prudent manner. It should be carried out in the appropriate format and based on valid and credible information. The sources from where the information is extracted should be clearly documented. Relevance and timeliness of information should also be ensured. Furthermore, obsolete, inaccurate and unreliable information should be avoided (Hightower, 2008). References Cavanaugh, J.C., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2006). Adult development and aging. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Cayton, H. (2007). Alzheimer and other dementias. London: Class Publishing Limited. Hightower, R. (2008). Internal controls policies and procedures. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Lau, K.J., Krase, K., & Morse, R.H. (2008). Mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect: A practical guide for social workers. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Sadock, B.J., Kaplan, H.I., & Sadock, V.A. (2007). Kaplan and Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Steinberg, L., Bornstein, M.H., Vandell, D.L., & Rook, K.S. (2010). Lifespan development: Infancy through adulthood. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Read More