Case Study of a Child Age 13

Alexandra Salgado
March 19, 2018
EDU 220
Teri Wyckoff
 Physical Characteristics
Typical Behaviors
Boys
• Growth spurt peaks around 13 and a half years and
slows about 18 years
• Testicles & scrotum can begin to grow as early as age 9;
genitals are usually at their adult size by age 17 or 18
• Pubic, armpit, leg, chest, and facial hair begins to grow
at about age 12 and reaches adult patterns around 17 to
18 years
• The start of puberty is marked by regular nocturnal
emissions (wet dreams) which usually begin to happen
between 13 and 17
• Voice changes at the same time as the
penis grows
(MedlinePlus, 2017)
Girls
• Growth spurt peaks around 11 and a half years and
slows about 16 years
• Breast buds can begin to develop as early as 8 years,
and develop fully between 12 and 18 years
• Pubic, armpit, and leg hair begin to grow at about
age 9 and reaches adult patterns around 13 to 14
years
• Menstrual periods usually begin 2 years after early
breast and pubic hair appear, but can begin as early
as age 9 year or as late as age 16
 Physical Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development Level According to Snowman
• Physical growth tends to be both rapid and uneven.
• Average children will grow 2 to 4 inches per year and gain 8 to 10 pounds per year.
• Some parts of their bodies, usually the hands & feet, grow faster than others.
• Girls growth spurt begins around age 11, peaks at 12, and is usually complete around age
15.
• Boys growth spurt begins around age 13, peaks at 14, and is usually complete around age
17.
• Between ages 11 through 13 most boys’ testes and scrotum begin to grow and some pubic
hair begins to appear; most girls begin to exhibit breast enlargement and develop some
pubic and underarm hair.

(Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 59-60)

 Physical Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development VS My Son
The child I observed was my 13 year old son.
My son is what Snowman & McCown would
describe as a late-maturing boy (2013, p. 59).
He has gained some weight since entering
this early adolescence stage. However, he
hasn’t gotten taller or started showing any
physical signs of puberty yet.
Recommendations for
Continued Development
According to Adolescent Development in Medline Plus (2017),
“Adolescents most often need privacy to understand the changes
taking place in their bodies. Ideally, they should be allowed to
have their own bedroom.” Medline (2017) also states that
“Teasing an adolescent child about physical changes is
inappropriate. It may lead to self-consciousness and
embarrassment.” Therefore, parents should be supportive,
explain what is happening, and answer any questions children
might have. The CDC (2017) also recommends that parents
encourage their children to be physically active, such as taking
up sports, and to promote healthy diets by making family meals
an important part of their lives.
 Emotional Characteristics
Typical Behaviors
• Children in this stage usually sulk and direct anger at authority figures, (University of Washington,
1993).
• They worry about their appearance and popularity; and are sometimes withdrawn and introspective,
(University of Washington, 1993).
• They also experience more moodiness, (CDC, 2017).
• They might feel more stressed, sad, or depressed, (CDC, 2017).
• They express less affection toward parents and may sometimes seem rude or short-tempered,
(CDC, 2017).
• They will worry about being normal, (Child Development Institute, 2015).
• They might feel loneliness, (Child Development Institute, 2015).
• Children feel like “no one understands,” (Child Development Institute, 2015).
• They might have emerging sexual feelings, (Child Development Institute, 2015).
 Emotional Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development Level According to Snowman

• Typically experience more intense emotions than do adults; emotions are both positive and
negative
• Might suffer from feelings of anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression
• Usually self-conscious and self-centered
• Deeply concerned about what type of clothing to wear or whom they should or should not be
seen in public with
• They assume that adults do not or cannot understand their thoughts and feelings, and believe
they are experiencing things no one else has ever experienced before
(Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 62)
 Emotional Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development VS My Son Recommendations for Continued
Development
My son might be late-maturing when it comes to Because children at this stage are more self conscious and
his physical growth, but when it comes to his prone to low self-esteem, the Child Development Institute
emotional growth he is more like a typical (2015) says, “They need recognition and positive feedback to
adolescent. He is often moody, especially when help them maintain the self-esteem and self-confidence they
need to tackle the more complex social, emotional and
he is tired or hungry, and seems to enjoy academic challenges they’ll face.” Parents should also,
directing his anger towards his teachers, parents, “Respect your teen’s opinions and take into account [their]
or grandparents. He sometimes gets easily thoughts and feelings,” (CDC, 2017).
frustrated and stressed about school work.
However, he does not worry too much about his
clothing or appearance in general. He also does
not worry about popularity or about whom he is
seen in public with.
Cognitive/Intellectual Characteristics
Typical Behaviors
• Children at this stage usually have more ability for complex thought, (CDC, 2017).
• They will also develop a stronger sense of right and wrong, (CDC, 2017).
• They will be mostly interested in present with limited thought to the future and their
intellectual interests expand and become more important, (Child Development Institute,
2015).
• They will be able to grasp higher math concepts, (MedlinePlus, 2017).
• They thrive on arguments and discussions, and may read a lot, (University of Washington,
1993).
• They are also increasingly able to memorize, (University of Washington, 1993).
 Cognitive/Intellectual Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development Level According to Piaget
• At this age children are in the last stage of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development known as the formal operational
stage.
• At this stage children can generalize from a certain instance to a general form.
• They are able to deal with abstractions, form hypotheses, solve problems systematically, and engage in mental
manipulations.
• Cognitive development is more influenced by peers than by adults.
• Instruction can speed up development of the schemes that have began to form.
• Piaget also believed the order of the stages was the same across cultures, but the rate of development varied.
(Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 25-30)
Cognitive/Intellectual Characteristics
(continued)

Typical Development Level According to Vygotsky

• Parents and schools shape children’s thought processes to reflect what the culture values.
• Therefore, the way children think is influenced by current social forces and historical cultural
forces.
• Psychological tools also aid and change children’s thought processes.
• Cognitive development is strongly influenced by people who are more intellectually advanced.
• Cognitive development is stimulated by instruction in the zone of proximal development.
(Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 31-36)
 Cognitive/Intellectual Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development VS My Son
My son began to show some of the typical
characteristics before he was actually in this stage.
He has always been a little above average when it
comes to his cognitive abilities, and he has always
been really good at math. However, at this age his
stronger sense of what is wrong and right became
more evident because he made it vocal, and he also
definitely thrives on arguing.
Recommendations for Continued
Development
Since children at this age are developing their own
sense of what is wrong and what is right and
wanting to make their own decisions, they will begin
to push their limits. Therefore, it is important for
parents to be clear and consistent. They should also
involve the children in family decisions because it
will help them learn how to tackle the problems
they’ll face in the future (Child Development
Institute, 2015). In the classroom, Snowman and
McCown (2013) suggest teachers should “decrease
competition and social comparisons among
students” and “create a friendly, supportive
classroom environment” (p. 63).
 Psychosocial/Social Characteristics
Typical Behaviors
• Children will withdraw from parents and become annoyed by younger sibling,
(University of Washington, 1993).
• Boys will usually resist any affection, (University of Washington, 1993).
• Children need less family interaction and usually feel parents are too restrictive,
(University of Washington, 1993).
• They will usually have a whole gang of friends and girls will show more interest in the
opposite sex than will boys, (University of Washington, 1993).
• Their group of friends will usually become their safe haven and will usually consist of
non-romantic friendships, (MedlinePlus, 2017).
• Members of the group will usually try to act alike, dress alike, or participate in the
same activities, (MedlinePlus, 2017).
 Psychosocial/Social Characteristics
(continued)

Typical Development Level According to Erikson

• At this age children are in the Identity vs Role Confusion stage.
• In this stage the goal is to develop the roles and skills that will prepare children to take a meaningful place in
society.
• Children are at risk for role confusion if they are unable to establish a sense of stability in various aspects of their
lives.
• If they succeed in integrating roles in different situations and experience continuity in their perception of self, their
identity develops.
(Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 19)
 Psychosocial/Social Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development Level According to Marcia
• Attainment of a mature identity depends on crisis and commitment.
• A crisis is any time during this stage when children are actively involved in choosing between alternative occupations or
beliefs.
• Commitment is the level of personal investment children express in an occupation or belief.
• Making commitments to interpersonal relationships contribute to identity formation.
• There are four identity statuses: identity diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and identity achievement.
• The more mature identity statuses are slow to evolve and are found in a small percentage of individuals.
• Identity status can continue to change in adulthood.
• Individuals are a mixture of their experiences so their identities reflect a mixture of identity statues.
(Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 21-22)
 Psychosocial/Social Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development VS My
Son
In this category my son also shares a lot of
the typical behaviors. He spends less time
interacting with family and more time
interacting with his friends. His group of
friends consists of all boys, and they all
enjoy doing the same type of activities. At
times he does resist any affection from his
grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents.
However, there are still a lot of other times
where he doesn’t resist it and actually
welcomes it.
Recommendations for
Continued Development
Since friends are so important to children at
this age, it is important to talk to them about
having friends who are interested in positive
activities and to encourage them to avoid
peers who may pressure them to make
unhealthy choices (CDC, 2017). According
to the Child Development Institute (2015),
parents should give children support and
guidance while also giving them enough
space to strengthen their wings.
 Moral/Character Characteristics

Typical Behaviors
• Children begin to develop moral philosophies, including rights and privileges, (MedlinePlus,
2017).
• They will begin to question old values, (MedlinePlus, 2017).
• They know right from wrong and try to weigh alternatives and arrive at decisions alone,
(University of Washington, 1993).
• They are usually reasonably thoughtful, unlikely to lie, and concerned about fair treatment of
others, (University of Washington, 1993).
 Moral/Character Characteristics
(continued)

Typical Development Level According to Kohlberg

• Kohlberg believed moral reasoning proceeds through fixed stages and that moral development
can be accelerated through instruction.
• Children at this age are usually going through the conventional morality stages (stage 3 and 4).
• They tend to confirm to the rules of society because they are the convention.
• In stage 3 they will believe that the right action is one that will impress others.
• In stage 4 they will believe that in order to maintain the social order, fixed rules must be
obeyed.
(Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 41-42)
 Moral/Character Characteristics
(continued)
Typical Development VS My Son
My son is pretty thoughtful, but he has always been
like that. He is also concerned about others being
treated fairly. That usually gets him into trouble at
school because he will interfere when other students
are in the middle of an issue with each other or with a
teacher. He isn’t, however, unlikely to lie. I have
caught him in a lie a few times.
Recommendations for Continued
Development
Parents should be available to listen to their children’s
ideas without taking over their independent identity,
(MedlinePlus, 2017). They should also demonstrate
respect for them, and help facilitate their decision
making, (University of Washington, 1993).
 References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Child development.

Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html

Child Development Institute (2015). The ages and stages of child

development. Retrieved from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-

stages/#.WR3Id_QrLrc

MedlinePlus (2017). Adolescent development. Retrieved from

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002003.htm

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2013). Ed psych. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,

Cengage Learning.

University of Washington. (1993). Child development: Using the child

development guide. Retrieved from

http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.htm