Child Observation

Child Observation
Nicole A. Burrell
Seton Hill University

Child Observation

Whats the difference between an atypically developing child and a typically developing
child? An atypically developing child may not have fully developed skills in one or more
developmental domains. Atypically developing children may have difficulty learning new
information at school or at home. Typically developing children progress with their development
at a rate proportional to their age. Not only do typically and atypically developing children have
developmental differences, they also have differences at school. Typically developing students
are educated in general education classrooms. Whereas, atypically developing students are
educated in the general education classroom or a special education classroom. These students
have individualized education program that states what classroom they should be educated in. In
school, typically and atypically developing children have some differences, but they also have
some similarities. These children are similar because they want to talk to their friends and fit in
with their peers. Although typically and atypically developing children have a lot of differences,
they have some similarities.
To begin with, I decided to observe two children, one atypically developing child and one
typically developing child, who were ten-years-old. These ten-year-old boys were both in fifth
grade and in the middle childhood developmental stage. I chose to observe two children in
middle childhood because I didnt know a lot about that stage of development. Most of my
classes I have had so far dealt with students in preschool, kindergarten and elementary school.
Therefore, I understood the development and actions of younger children, but I knew very little
about the development and the actions of older children. I knew that I would need to understand
the development of children in the middle childhood stage because I will become certified in
special education. My special education certification will allow me to teach students in
kindergarten through eighth grade. Consequently, I wanted to observe two children in the middle

Child Observation

childhood developmental stage because I might teach children in middle childhood some day. I
realized that the middle childhood developmental stage includes children who are nine, ten,
eleven and twelve years old. In middle childhood, children are beginning to go through puberty
and growth spurts. They are constantly moving and enjoy running and doing crafts. Also, they
like to go to school and enjoy talking with their friends. Children in middle childhood seek
approval from their teachers and parents (Marotz & Allen, 2013, p. 192). Nine and ten year olds
are in the concrete operational stage and they are able to think about problems logically and think
about the outcomes. Children in this stage can even solve problems and understand basic spatial
concepts (Marotz & Allen, 2013, p. 6). Middle childhood is a developmental stage that includes
ten-year-old children who are talkative, physically active and logical.
Most ten-year-old children are full of energy and have good motor skills because they are
constantly playing sports or completing crafts, but atypically developing children may lack good
motor skills. I observed Tyler, a ten-year-old boy, who had Down syndrome, and Josh, a tenyear-old boy, who was typically developing. At Clairview school, Tyler was very energetic and
out going. He walked on his tiptoes into the classroom. Then, Tyler went to his desk and slowly
pulled out his chair. He seemed to have some difficulty pulling out his chair. While sitting in his
chair, he constantly moved his legs. It seemed as if he felt comfortable moving part of his body
constantly. After sitting for a few minutes, Tyler got out of his chair to get a job. His job
consisted of placing words in alphabetical piles based on the first letter of the word. He had a
few problems with his fine motor skills. It took awhile for him to pick up the cards with his
fingers and put them back down. Many children with Down syndrome have joint laxity and
atlantoaxial instability, which causes problems with their fine motor skills (Pellegrino, 2013,
p.278). Tyler may have problems with his joints that cause him to have problems with his fine

Child Observation

motor skills. He seemed behind in his physical development compared to Josh and other children
his age. At the Love, Laugh, Learn Daycare, Josh was very active and energetic. Josh got off of
the school bus and ran into the daycare. After he ate his snack, he went outside to jump with a
jump rope and run around. Then, he went back inside and started building a model airplane. Josh
put the small pieces together with ease. His fine motor skills were very developed. Most tenyear-olds like to use their hands for arts and crafts, cooking, woodworking, needlework,
painting, building models or taking apart objects such as a clock or telephone (Marotz & Allen,
2013, p. 193). Josh was very similar to Austin, my virtual child, when he was ten-years-old.
They both had lots of energy and wanted to play outside a lot. Also, Austin would like to draw
and build truck models. Tyler and Josh were very different because Tylers fine motor skills
werent as advanced as Joshs fine motor skills. Josh would run around, while Tyler walked very
carefully on his tiptoes. Even though Josh and Tyler had many differences, they had some
similarities because they were very energetic and wanted to constantly move around.
Although Josh and Tyler had a lot of differences in their physical development, they had a
lot of similarities in their social development. Tyler sat beside his friends and said hello to them.
They talked to him until class started. He was very polite to his friends and teachers and kept
asking them questions. Tyler would even talk to the quiet children in the class. Most of the
children were very nice to him, but a few would ignore him. I could tell that these children hurt
Tylers feelings because he just wanted to fit in and have everyone like him. Also, Josh had
similar social skills to Tyler. Josh enjoyed talking to his friends at school and at daycare. Unlike
Tyler, Josh didnt want to fit in with the younger children around him. Josh wanted to be a role
model for the younger children. Therefore, when he would get angry with another child, he
would talk about why he was angry, instead of yelling at the child. Josh did talk about wanting to

Child Observation

fit in with peers his age at school. According to Marotz and Allen (2013), ten-year-old children
enjoy being with friends and seek out friendships based on common interests and proximity (p.
195). Also, ten-year-old children want to fit in with their peers and be accepted by them. At tenyears-old, Austin, my virtual child, was just like Tyler and Josh because he enjoyed spending
time with his friends and wanted to talk to everyone around him. In addition, Austin acted like
Josh and Tyler because he wanted everyone to like him and be a role model for younger children,
especially his sister, Alexis. Tyler and Josh had very similar social skills that any ten-year-old
child would acquire.
Tyler and Joshs social skills were very similar, but their emotional skills were at different
stages of development. Tyler would get sad when another child would not talk to him. He would
get really upset when he called a peers name multiple times and he or she would ignore him.
Even thought this student ignored him, most of the students would talk to him. He had a huge
smile on his face when he talked to them. Also, he wanted to get approval from his teachers
every time he accomplished a task. Tyler liked when he would get the teachers attentions. He
loved to get stickers from his teachers after completing his work because he had a huge smile on
his face. While Tyler liked getting stickers from his teachers, Josh liked to get the attention of his
teachers because he wanted approval. Josh wanted his teachers to approve of his airplane model
or his behavior. He would even go out of his way to help his one teacher, Miss. Ashley. Also,
Josh showed the teachers his confidence in his own abilities. He revealed his confidence while
building the model airplane. As a role model for the younger children, he also exhibited
confidence. Tyler and Josh were acting like other ten-year-old children on some aspects such
wanting to gain the attention of the adults. It is common for ten-year-old children to develop
attachments to teachers, coaches and club leaders and often go out of their way to please and

Child Observation

gain the attention of these adults (Marotz & Allen, 2013, p. 195). Josh was at an appropriate
stage of emotional development for his age and showed confidence like other children his age
(Marotz & Allen, 2013, p.195). Whereas, Tyler was at an emotional development stage
appropriate for a younger child and didnt have confidence. Tylers emotional development was
behind Joshs emotional development.
Josh and Tyler liked to talk to their friends and teachers about their emotions, but Tyler
had more trouble with his speech than Josh did. Tyler liked to talk to others, but he would stutter.
Then, he would repeat some of his words. He would say okay a lot and use some of the same
words over and over again. Tyler had a very limited vocabulary and did not understand the
humor in some jokes. Whereas, Josh would talk to the younger children and adults. Josh spoke
with great clarity and complexity. He had an enormous vocabulary, just like my virtual child,
Austin. Also, he found the humor in jokes and metaphors. Josh and Tyler were similar to other
ten-year-olds because they talked often nonstop and for no specific reason (Marotz & Allen,
2013, p. 194). Most ten-year-old children have a large vocabulary full of different words and
understand humor. Therefore, Tyler was behind in his language development compared to Josh
and other students his age. Tyler and Josh had differences in the their language, but they still
liked to talk a lot.
In addition to having differences in their language development, Josh and Tyler had many
differences in their cognitive development. Tyler was in a life skills class where he worked on
sorting words in alphabetical order. Then, he worked on another job that dealt with the months of
the year. Tyler worked slowly, but used all the determination he had to finish his jobs. After
completing the jobs, all students played a game with buzzers. He really liked the game because
the teacher asked questions about the months of the year and the students hit a buzzer to answer.

Child Observation

Tyler knew the answers to the questions the teacher asked. Therefore, he liked playing the game
and hitting the buzzer. These activities showed that he learned the best through hands-on
learning. Josh also learned the best through hands-on learning because he put the airplane model
together with his hands. Also, he played education math games on the iPad that made him think
and use his hands. He even sent emails to his friends on the iPad. Josh, Tyler and other ten-yearold children were alike because they learn the best through hands-on learning (Marotz &
Allen, 2013, p. 194). Even though Tyler learned best through hands-on activities like other tenyear-old children, he was at a lower cognitive stage than them. He had problems reading
directions and writing his ideas down. Most ten-year-old children, including Josh, have no
problem with reading directions or writing down their ideas. Josh and Tyler learned the best
through hands-on learning, but still had major differences in their cognitive development and
abilities.
Overall, I have learned that Tyler and Josh had many differences in their developmental
stages, but they also had similarities in their developmental stages. Tyler had Down syndrome
and was atypically developing, while Josh was a typically developing child. They both were very
energetic ten-year-olds who moved around constantly. Even though Tyler had problems with
weak joints, he still participated in physical activities. Tyler didnt let any problems get in the
way of accomplishing his goals. He always knew how to enjoy himself. I admired his
determination and courage to keep going even when an activity was difficult. Tyler had taught
me many things about an atypically developing child, while Josh taught me many things about a
typically developing child. Josh was also very determined, but in a different way than Tyler. He
was determined to be a role model for younger students. Also, Josh revealed his confidence in his
abilities in arts and crafts and leadership. I learned that ten-year-old children can make a

Child Observation

difference in their own learning and in the lives of younger children. Josh and Tyler have taught
me how children can develop at different rates, but still have so many similar skills.

References

Child Observation
Marotz, L., & Allen, K. (2013). Developmental profiles: Pre-birth through adolescence. (7th
ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Pellegrino, L. (2012). The common sense guide to your child's special needs: When to worry,
when to wait, what to do. Baltimore, MD: Paulh Brookes Publishing Company.