Developmental Assessment and The School-Going Child - Essay Example

"Developmental Assessment and The School-Going Child" is a perfect example of a paper on child development. Child development assessment gauges a child’s physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and language abilities and their attitude towards learning. These are essential for their continued growth, maturation, and function in society. Developmental assessment in children is vital as it helps in the proper recording of all the child's growth areas. It also allows tutors to notice the children differently from the rest, such as those with special needs. It is also crucial in identifying areas that children need support from their tutors and parents as they grow up. Child assessment is also essential as it provides a common ground between the tutors and the parents or guardians of the children on the standard care that should be given to the child.

Pediatric needs vary according to age, just as their stages of development(Gober, S.) For proper assessment of children, findings are obtained at different ages, between 5 and 12 years. The methods of evaluation are also age-dependent. For example, methods used on a six-year-old, whose expression is limited, are different from that of an 11-year-old, who would gladly speak for themselves. For most children, information for assessment is majorly provided by the parents and guardians. However, observation is the technique mostly used by assessors to gauge a child's level of development. Other methods include using assessment tools such as standardized testing and questionnaires, children's work portfolios, and teacher and parent ratings. These techniques could work for all school-going children, but in some instances, modifications are essential in achieving the required results(Strain, P. S., Guralnick, M. J., & Walker, H. M. (2013)). For example, while a 12-year-old could read, understand, and answer a questionnaire, that might not be the case for a five-year-old. A modification like reading the questions on a questionnaire and writing down answers offered might be ideal for obtaining results from a five-year-old.
Jane is a 5year-old girl. She was born on the 38th week of gestation with approximately 3kgs. She was breastfed exclusively for the first six months and was weaned properly with soft foods. Jane started to sit down at four months and started showing interest in turn-taking instructions. She crawled at eight months and eventually walked at 15 months. By the end of twelve months, she could say simple words such as "mama" and "papa," and she could speak fluently by the eighteenth month. Jane connects well with other siblings and parents but seems to enjoy her mother’s company more. She joined Kindergarten at four years, and her performance is above average. She is a bubbly, talkative, and obedient girl adored by her teacher and other children.

Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development encompasses six developmental stages that occur in phases of pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional morality (Saul McLeod, .2013). Jane fits in the first phase (Pre-conventional morality), which has two stages; Stage 1, known as Obedience and Punishment Driven, and Stage 2, known as Self-interest Driven. At the Pre-conventional level, children relate the morality of action with their direct consequences. While assessing Jane based on Kohlberg’s theory, the assessor should focus on her moral development and the reason behind her ethical decisions. At these stages, the child is expected to perceive something morally wrong if someone is punished for that mistake. Information about this is most likely to come from Jane's siblings, the children she plays with, the kids she does not like, and those that she would want to be associated with. The assessment should be carried out when Jane relates to other children without necessarily knowing that she is being assessed to get full coordination.

In conclusion, child development assessment is vital in determining a child's welfare, and data should be collected at different stages for good results. Psychological theories could be applied to determine what is expected of a child at a certain age.