Case Study of a Child: Age 8

Ellise Peterson
EDU 220-1001
 Eight Year Old Observation Overview
Physical Development
• Grows stronger Psychosocial/Social Development
• Personality traits • Relationship importance
• Understanding human interaction
Emotional Development
• Develops more awareness Moral/Character Development
• Understands emotions • Courage/resilience
• Honesty
Cognitive/Intellectual Development • Responsibility
• Question stage
• Expand learning
PHYSICAL
 Typical Physical Behaviors
• Busy and active
• Frequent accidents
• Will make silly faces
• May frequently urinate as a
result of anxiety
• Has a good appetite (guzzles
down food, spontaneously burps,
may accept new foods)
• Health has improved (less
illnesses that don’t last as long)

University of Washington, 1993

 Typical Physical Development
Snowman
• Extremely active
• Often, energy is released in the form of a nervous habit (pencil chewing,
fingernail biting, and fidgeting)
• Become fatigued easily (can result in physical and mental exertion)
• Difficulty focusing
• Physical activity is at an extreme
• Excellent control of body
• Confidence in skills
• Bone growth is not complete (bones and ligaments can’t stand heavy
pressure)

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)

Physical Characteristics/Behaviors Compared
Child Observed Typical Development

• Extremely busy and active • Busy and active

• Has no accidents • Frequent accidents
• Makes silly faces and will do anything to • Will make silly faces
make others laugh and bring • May frequently urinate as a result of
happiness/joy anxiety
• As a result of anxiety he does not • Has a good appetite (guzzles down food,
frequently urinate but does pick/bite nails, spontaneously burps, may accept new
chews on random objects, and fidgets foods)
• Has a big appetite (takes time eating, • Health has improved (less illnesses that
burps to be funny/gross, always accepts don’t last as long)
new foods)
• Very healthy (little to no illnesses)

University of Washington, 1993

Physical Development Recommendations
• Sympathize and comfort the child
• Don’t take things too serious
• Be tolerant (it’s not deliberate)

University of Washington, 1993

EMOTIONAL
 Typical Emotional Behaviors
• May be excessive in self-criticism
• Tends to dramatize everything
• Very sensitive
• Has fewer and more reasonable fears
• May argue and resist
requests/instructions (will obey
eventually)
• Immediate rewards for behavior are
liked
• Usually affectionate, helpful, cheerful,
outgoing, curious, giggly, silly
• May also be rude, selfish, bossy, and
demanding
University of Washington, 1993
• Identify and understand emotions
• Learning to identify more complex
emotions
• Talk about how feelings can affect
their behavior
• Understand it’s possible to have
“conflicting feelings” or “mixed
emotions” about a situation
• Understand “big feelings” can
sometimes be overwhelming
PBS Parents, 2017
Typical Emotional Development
Snowman
• Sensitive to criticism and ridicule
• May have difficulty adjusting to failure
• Eager to please
• Sensitive to the feelings of those around them

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)

 Emotional Characteristics/Behaviors
Compared
Child Observed Typical Development

• Comfortable openly talking to parents and tells them • Has more secrets
everything, therefore not sure about having more secrets
• May be excessive in self-criticism
• Extremely hard on himself (perfectionist)
• Tends to dramatize everything
• Very dramatic
• Very sensitive
• Very sensitive
• Has fewer and more reasonable fears
• Is fearful whether the fears are “reasonable” or not
• May argue and resist requests/instructions (will obey
• Does argue and resist requests/instructions (does obey eventually)
eventually)
• Immediate rewards for behavior are liked
• Loves being rewarded for behavior
• Usually affectionate, helpful, cheerful, outgoing, curious,
• Very affectionate, helpful, cheerful, outgoing, curious, giggly, giggly, silly
silly, and is kind
• May also be rude, selfish, bossy, and demanding
• Wouldn’t say he’s rude, selfish, bossy, or demanding but he
likes to be heard and acknowledged

University of Washington, 1993

Emotional Development Recommendations
• Do NOT criticize
• Encourage efforts
• Teach that everyone makes mistakes
• Build on confidence, encourage confidence
• Keep directions simple
• Don’t over direct
• Provide small but meaningful rewards for accomplishments
• Allow expression of negative emotions while still maintaining limits
• Accept humor
• Be patient

University of Washington, 1993

COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL
 Typical Cognitive/Intellectual Behaviors
• Wants to know the reason of
things
• Often overestimates own ability
• Generalizes instances of failure
with statements such as, “I never
get anything right.”
• Wants more information about
pregnancy and birth
• May question father’s role
University of Washington, 1993
• Begin to use language to explain
their outer world (what they see)
and their inner world (what they
think, feel, and imagine
• Expand vocabulary by talking to
adults
• Learn more about the give-and-
take of conversations (taking
turns and building on someone
else’s ideas)
PBS Parents, 2017
 Typical Cognitive/Intellectual Development
Snowman
Piaget Cognitive Development
Concrete Operational Stage
• Stage of “concrete operations”
• Become less influenced by perceptional
centration, irreversibility, and egocentrism
• Greater understanding of logic-based tasks:
conservation, class inclusion, seriation
• Thinking is limited to objects that are present
or objects children have experienced directly
• More capable of learning advanced concepts
Vygotsky Cognitive Development
Sociocultural Theory
• Introduced to psychological tools through
interactions with parents and teachers
• “Through others we become ourselves” –
Vygotsky
• Scientific concepts- psychological tools that
allow those to manipulate their environment
• Stimulate and guide cognitive development
• Zone of proximal development refers to the
difference between what a child can do on
their own and what can be accomplished with
assistance
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)
 Cognitive/Intellectual
Characteristics/Behaviors Compared
Child Observed Typical Development

• Does want to know the reason of things
(is very curious), wants to know the
”why’s”
• Often underestimates his ability (doesn’t
give himself enough credit) but at the
same time is extremely confident in all he
does
• Will generalize instances of failure with
statements such as, “I never do anything
right.”
• Has no interest in pregnancy/birth
• Loves his father and doesn’t question his
role but will test his limits
• Wants to know the reason of things
• Often overestimates own ability
• Generalizes instances of failure with
statements such as, “I never get anything
right.”
• Wants more information about pregnancy
and birth
• May question father’s role

University of Washington, 1993

 Cognitive/Intellectual Development
Recommendations
• Answer questions patiently
• Direct child towards what can be accomplished but still provide
challenges
• Stress what the child has learned and how far they’ve come instead of
the end result
• Always be available to answer questions

University of Washington, 1993

PSYCHOSOCIAL/SOCIAL
 Typical Psychosocial/Social Behaviors
• Demands love and understanding from mother
• Makes new friends easily
• Works at establishing good two-way relationships
• Develops close friends of the same sex
• Considers clubs and groups important
• Enjoys school, doesn’t like to be absent
• Tends to talk more about school
University of Washington, 1993
• Observe how people interact with them
• Pays close attention to parents’ facial expressions and tone of
voices
• Develop behavior based on what they see
• Learn how to effectively work in a group and work through
miscommunication
• Understand that other people have thoughts and feelings of
their own
• Begin to forecast how events and behaviors will affect the
feelings of those around them
• Care a lot about friendship and feeling like they belong
• May begin to confide thoughts and feelings to a “best friend”
or small group of close friends
• Very sensitive to social rejection and may become jealous
when their friends play with other people
• Develop stronger and more stable friendships
• Highly motivated to solve social problems because they care
about their relationships
PBS Parents, 2017
 Typical Psychosocial/Social Development
Snowman
Erikson Psychosocial Development
Industry Versus Inferiority
• Point in development when their behavior is dominated by intellectual curiosity and
performance
• “If children at this stage are encouraged to make and do things well, helped to persevere,
allowed to finish tasks, and praised for trying, industry results. If the children’s efforts are
unsuccessful or if they are derided or treated as bothersome, feelings of inferiority result.
Children who feel inferior may never learn to enjoy intellectual work and take pride in
doing at least one kind of thing really well. At worse, they may believe they will never
excel in anything.” Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015) pg. 29

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)

 Psychosocial/Social
Characteristics/Behaviors Compared
Child Observed
• Loves his mom, thrives with her
attention and love
• Constantly makes new friends, easily
• Cherishes relationships with others
• Has close friends of the same sex
• Considers sports important
• Says he doesn’t “like” school but will
frequently talk about school and the
things he enjoys in regards to it
Typical Development
• Demands love and understanding from
mother
• Makes new friends easily
• Works at establishing good two-way
relationships
• Close friends of the same sex
• Considers clubs and groups important
• Enjoys school, doesn’t like to be
absent
• Tends to talk more about school
University of Washington, 1993
Psychosocial/Social Development
Recommendations
• Be loving and accepting
• Assist with sports groups and activities
• Go to activities
• Be apart of his/her school life
• Remain understanding of needs and feelings
• Do not overly focus on behavior
• Set reasonable limits

University of Washington, 1993

MORAL/CHARACTER
 Typical Moral/Character Behaviors
• Courage for an eight-year-old might be reaching out to a peer
who needs help, sticking with a challenging academic
problem, or performing on stage for the first time
• Resilience might be sticking with a task at school even when
it seems difficult, identifying skills they want to develop and
practicing them (continuing even when they encounter
setbacks)
• Responsibility might be getting themselves ready for school,
taking care of their belongings, helping with specific
household chores, and looking for ways to be a helper at
school and in the community
• Honesty looks like consistently telling the truth, accepting
responsibility for their actions, and sharing important
information with trusted adults
• At eight they understand the difference between telling the
truth and lying
• Have a desire to please adults (may lie to hide accidents or to
“protect” a friend)

PBS Parents, 2017

 Typical Moral/Character Development
Snowman
Piaget, Kohlberg, and Gilligan’s Conventional Morality
• Conform to conventions of society
• Good boy-nice girl orientation (right action carried out by someone who behaves to impress or please
others)
• Law-and-order orientation (maintain social order, rules must be established and obeyed, and it’s
essential to respect those in authority)
• Rules are important
• May not question rules but will frequently break them because they may not understand them
completely
• Capable of understanding why rules are necessary
• Obey rules because they believe they are established by those in authority
• Behavior is either right or wrong

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)

 Moral/Character Characteristics/Behaviors
Compared
Child Observed
• Very helpful towards classmates, friends, loved ones, and
teammates
• Gets himself ready for school
• Takes care of his belongings and values them
• Does chores around the house and feels a sense of importance
when “chipping” in
• Understands the importance of telling the truth
• Takes responsibility for his actions and always apologizes
(even if it’s not immediate)
• Extremely open with parents about everything, easily talks to
them about what is going on in his life
• Understands the difference between telling the truth and lying
• Is a people pleaser, especially with mom and dad/those he
cares about
Typical Development
• Courage for an eight-year-old might be reaching out to a peer
who needs help, sticking with a challenging academic
problem, or performing on stage for the first time
• Resilience might be sticking with a task at school even when
it seems difficult, identifying skills they want to develop and
practicing them (continuing even when they encounter
setbacks)
• Responsibility might be getting themselves ready for school,
taking care of their belongings, helping with specific
household chores, and looking for ways to be a helper at
school and in the community
• Honesty looks like consistently telling the truth, accepting
responsibility for their actions, and sharing important
information with trusted adults
• At eight they understand the difference between telling the
truth and lying
• Have a desire to please adults (may lie to hide accidents or to
“protect” a friend)
PBS Parents, 2017
 Moral/Character Development
Recommendations
• Acknowledge and support the child’s standards
• Discuss whether the child’s expectations are reasonable
• Encourage the child to be self-forgiving
• Focus on the worth of the child rather than their behavior

University of Washington, 1993

 References
PBS Parents. (2017). Child development tracker Ages 2- 8.
http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015). Psychology Applied to Teaching,
14th ed. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
University of Washington. (1993). Child development: Using the child
development
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/
cd06.htm