Presenting Challenge: Explain the presenting challenge or challenges and primary issue or issues.
Lifespan Theory: Analyze lifespan development theories to determine the most appropriate theory or theories to apply to the case study.
Intervention Process: Apply the appropriate lifespan development theory to support an identified intervention process.
Individual and Cultural Differences: Describe the potential impact of individual and cultural differences on development for the current age and context
described in the case study.
Conclusion: A conclusion that summarizes the case study context, challenges, and interventions.
References: Cite a minimum of five current peer-reviewed articles, as well as your course text, to support your assertions. (5 years old or younger)
Case Study
Terry and Bill, married for 5 years, are a Black couple who live in a small suburban community. Terry graduated from high school and worked as a receptionist
before her marriage to Bill, a communications company manager. Because both of them believed that mothers should stay at home with young children,
Terry quit her job when she had her first child, who is now an intense and active 4-year-old daughter named Dawn. Both parents were very attentive to their
daughter and enjoyed caring for and playing with her when she was a baby. As Dawn got older, she became more active and assertive. When Dawn fussed,
resisted, or showed frustration, Terry was patient and affectionate with her. She was able to coax Dawn out of her bad temper by making up little games that
Dawn enjoyed. Both Terry and Bill liked Dawn’s spirited personality. Because her parents wanted her to have access to playmates, Dawn attended a churchrelated program for toddlers and preschoolers three mornings a week.
When Dawn was 3 years old, Terry gave birth to the couple’s second child, a son named Darren. Soon after the baby’s birth, the family learned that Darren had
a congenital heart problem that would require ongoing medical treatment and a specific regimen of care at home. Darren was an irritable baby. He fussed for
long periods and was very difficult for Terry to soothe. Because of Darren’s need for medical care and the limitations of Bill’s medical insurance, the couple
soon found themselves in financial difficulty. Bill began to take on overtime work at the company to subsidize some of the bills and was away from the home
several nights a week and part of each weekend.
Terry found the care of two demanding young children and the worries about money to be increasingly more stressful. She was always tired and seemed to
have less patience with her family. Although she once had the leisure time to read to Dawn, to take her for walks, and to help her master tasks that proved
frustrating, Terry now had to shift her attention to the care of her medically fragile infant. Because Dawn looked so grown-up compared to the vulnerable
newborn, Terry began to perceive her daughter as able to do many things for herself. When Dawn demonstrated her neediness by clinging or whining, Terry
became abrupt and demanded that Dawn stop. Many battles revolved around Terry’s new rule that Dawn have a nap or “quiet time” each afternoon so that
mother and baby could get some rest.
One day, Dawn’s preschool teacher, Mrs. Adams, asked to speak with Terry. Mrs. Adams noted that Dawn’s behavior was becoming a problem in the morning
preschool sessions. Dawn had begun throwing toys when she became upset and often refused to cooperate in group activities. Terry was greatly
embarrassed to hear about her daughter’s misbehavior. Dawn was the only Black child in the small class, and her mother wondered if this was part of the
problem. When Terry got home, she put her tearful, clinging daughter in her room for time-out for being bad at school. She loved Dawn, but she could not
tolerate this kind of behavior, especially when Darren needed so much of her time. She began to wonder if she and Bill had spoiled their daughter. Terry
feared that Dawn would have problems when it came time for her to enter kindergarten if they didn’t take a strong stand with her now.
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