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Running head: MY VIRTUAL CHILD 1

My Virtual Child Report 1

Syeda Fatima Fizza Qasmi

Ivy Tech Community College


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INTASC Standard, Description and Rationale

Standard# 1 Learner Development.

The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of

learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social,

emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and

challenging learning experiences.

Name of Artifact: My Virtual Child Report; 01

Date: February 23, 2014

Course: EDUC 121

Brief Description:

For this assignment I have to write a report about my virtual child, Zainab from birth

through 2 years of age which is toddler. Report will examine and observe observe whether my

virtual child’s developmental patterns are typical or atypical for her age group.

Rationale:

To document my understanding of Standard# 1, Learner Development, in this

assignment I have included my Virtual Child Zainab. I have included the various developmental

patterns whether they are typical for her age group, which is 0- 2 years of age. This report helps

in working on the areas of the child that require extra support in developing a child on the typical

growth pattern of their age group.


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Introduction:

Development refers to change or growth that occurs in a child during the life span from

birth to adolescence. This change occurs in an orderly sequence, involving physical,

cognitive, and emotional development. These three main areas of child development involve

developmental changes which take place in a predictable pattern (age related), orderly, but

with differences in the rate or timing of the changes from one person to another (Ruffin,

2009).

Following report will discuss my virtual child Zainab’s developmental periods from 0-9

months and observe whether her behavior is normal at certain time or no and will also discuss

the measures to overcome issues if any.

1. How does your baby’s eating, sleeping and motor development compare to the

typical developmental patterns in the first 9 months?

Zainab did not have a normal birth. Doctors decided to induce labor early, and Zainab

was born three weeks before. She weighed only five pounds, and had an Apgar score of six.

She was kept in the hospital for a week, and pronounced healthy at the end of that time.

Sleeping behavior 0- 9 months:

I noticed that Zainab seemed restless and uncomfortable some of the time, and used to

cry more than most newborns. Used to wake up at nights and cry however I used to soothe her

by talking and playing with her.

Eating behavior in 0- 9 months:

She was slow to learn how to feed and lost a little weight after birth. However, after 3

weeks Zainab finally started gaining weight. But one thing was very normal that she lost some

weight immediately after birth, as an infant normally loses about 5 - 10% of his or her birth
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weight. However, by about age 2 weeks, an infant should start to gain weight and grow

quickly which she did gain after few weeks (Kail, 2009).

Motor sequence:

Zainab’s motor sequence was very typical as it is stated in the text that physical

development is orderly and occurs in predictable sequence. As in the first couple of months

she first started to lift her head and watch moving objects by moving the head from side to

side hung on her cot. Moreover when she was four to five months old she started rolling over

turning from the stomach to the back first, then from back to stomach which was very normal

as well. However it took her a while to sit upright in a high chair as she was able to do so at

around nine months as typically it takes four to six months for a child to get used to of a

sitting up right. Zainab started crawling as soon as she was able to roll on her tummy by

pulling with the arms and wiggling the stomach. After few months when she was able to

crawl fine we bought her a walking vehicle which helped her in walking stage a lot as within

a couple of few months she was able to walk first by holding furniture than without any help

or assistance.

Separation Anxiety:

Used to cry a lot when I had to go somewhere and leave her alone which I think is

normal.

Stranger Anxiety:

Zainab was never scared of strangers however used to get shy in the beginning if come

across any new face which later on at around 18 months was not even a problem because her

socialization was more improved and she became very welcoming as she used to play with

them.
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Reunion Behavior:

Off course her negative mood was changed into a happy positive mood when I used to

come home after a long time.

Behavior observed:

The developmental patterns that I discussed above are pretty much normal and typical

so I would say in some categories like at birth she was little below average but after that she

went through above average developmental patterns.

2. How is your child’s attachment relationship to you or your partner (whoever is the

mother) developing? What is happening at the 3-month and 8-month periods that

might affect attachment security according to Bowlby and Ainsworth, and various

research studies?

Attachment theory is focused on the relationships and bonds between people,

particularly long-term relationships including those between a parent and child. Attachment is

an emotional bond to another person. Psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment

theorist, describing attachment as a "lasting psychological connectedness” between human

beings. Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers have

a tremendous impact that continues throughout life. He suggested attachment also serves to

keep the infant close to the mother, thus improving the child's chances of survival.

The central theme of attachment theory is that primary caregivers who are available and

responsive to an infant's needs allow the child to develop a sense of security. The infant

knows that the caregiver is dependable, which creates a secure base for the child to then

explore the world. Psychologist Mary Ainsworth In her 1970's research, expanded greatly
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upon Bowlby's original work. Her groundbreaking "Strange Situation" study revealed the

profound effects of attachment on behavior (Cherry, 2014).

According to the theory around three months of age Zainab was pretty much attached to

me as I was always there for her. I never used to ignore her but help her instead. In the

beginning she gave me very hard time as she was born a premature baby. She used to act very

fussy and refuse to eat or sleep at times, so to soothe her I used to play with her which made

her somewhat closer to me. She used to spend a lot of time studying my face and the faces of

anyone who used to come close to her. Her behavior with me was pretty much responsive. At

8 months of age I introduced abject permanence test to her which she enjoyed the most. I used

to talk to her a lot, take her to the parks which helped her to be social and gave her the feeling

of security which later on build a strong trust between me and her. Later my love and care

build confidence in her personality as she seemed to enjoy meeting new people even after an

initial hesitation. At around 8 months of age Zainab started showing signs of independence,

wanting to be put down so she can crawl, and wanting to explore new places or things for

longer periods of time.

In the words of Ainsworth: “The qualitative nature of 1-yr-olds' attachment to their

mothers is related both to earlier mother–infant interaction and to various aspects of their later

development. The way in which they organize their behavior toward their mothers affects the

way in which they organize their behavior toward other aspects of their environment, both

animate and inanimate. This organization provides a core of continuity in development

despite changes that come with cognitive and socioemotional developmental acquisitions.

Despite the need for further research into children's attachment to their parents and to other

figures, findings to date provide relevant leads for policies, education in parenting, and
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intervention procedures to further the welfare of infants and young children (Ainsworth,

2012).

3. Describe and give examples of changes in your child’s exploratory or problem

solving behavior from 8 through 18 months and categorize them according to

Piagetian and information processing theories.

Piaget views cognitive development as an orderly four stage process which can take

place at different rates but is constant in sequence. Information-processing theory views

cognitive development as an ongoing process where individuals increase: short-term memory

capacity, long-term knowledge, and the use of strategies throughout their life In my view,

both theories agree that children will be limited in their thinking abilities throughout their

cognitive development however children are capable of obtaining mechanisms that expand

their way of thinking. Piaget’s stage theory suggests that the cognitive limitations are based

on what developmental stage the child is in; the information-processing theory suggests that

limitations are due to a child’s functional short-term memory capacity which is linked to age

(Pressley & McCormick, 2007).

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development:

There are five stages described by Piaget; Sensory motor period (Birth – 2 years),

Preoperational period (2-7 years), Concrete operational period (7-11 years), Formal

operational period (11-16 years). Zainab is currently a toddler thus she best fits into sensory

motor period which is birth to two years of age.

Piaget's ideas surrounding the Sensory Motor Stage are centered on the basis of a 'schema'.

Piaget believed that much of a baby's behavior is triggered by certain stimuli, in that they are

reflexive. A few weeks after birth, the baby begins to understand some of the information it is
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receiving from its senses, and learns to use some muscles and limbs for movement. These

developments are known as 'action schemas'. During the Sensory Motor Stage, knowledge

about objects and the ways that they can be manipulated is acquired. Therefore this stage is

basically development of object permanence (Piaget, 2014).

Zainab at around 8 months was introduced to this test which she enjoyed a lot. Children

at this age are egocentric as they are unable to consider anyone else's needs except

themselves. Thus Zainab at around 12 months had a wide range of moods, and used to get

really upset when hungry, tired, wet, etc. Around 12 months in sensory motor skills Zainab

was also able to imitate new words and actions, so I started focusing on teaching her new

words, and reinforcing her for pronouncing them correctly. At around 12 months when I tried

object permanence test again Zainab was able to find the object even after long delays and on

different hiding places which seemed her to think this is a great game. Zainab learned to walk

at around 12 months as children learns to use some muscles and limbs for movement in

sensory motor period. It is stated by Jean Piaget that children act like scientists. Make things

work in different ways but if for instance they fail to apply their theory they give that up and

try another one. If it is applied successfully a child’s believe in that theory grows stronger.

Thus, Zainab often studies things in her environment and performs simple little "experiments"

with them, almost like a little scientist. For example, she pushes her bath toys under water at

various depths and delightedly watches how high they pop back above the surface.

4. Analyze your baby’s temperament in more detail at 19 months than you did at 8

months. How would you describe your baby in terms of the five aspects of

temperament utilized by the Virtual Child program (activity, sociability,

emotionality, aggressiveness vs. cooperativeness, and self-control) Has your child’s


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temperament been stable over the first 18 months? A blurb defining and

providing examples of the five aspects of temperament is provided at 12 months in

the program, but you should seek out further explanations of temperament from

your textbook. Explain how the concept of goodness of fit (also discussed in the

blurb on infant temperament) applies to your interactions with your child.

Activity:

Zainab is less clingy lately, and often wants to be put down to explore rather than to be

held. Her favorite places to venture out are the park and the store. Dance when music plays.

Sociability:

Zainab has become quite welcoming and social. Zainab is very outgoing and friendly

with new people.

Emotionality:

Zainab is fairly calm most of the time, but sometimes starts whining and fussing when

she is very tired or overstimulated.

Aggressiveness vs Cooperativeness:

Zainab become resistant sometimes to your requests for cooperation. For example, she

says "no," or refuses things that she accepted before such as food or bath time.

Zainab’s temperament was not very bad from the beginning but yes at 18 months I see

great improvement in all aspects of temperament. She wants to do everything. Zainab is quite

social but shy at the same time. Sometimes listen but gets fussy when tired which I think is

quite normal. Goodness of fit applies to Zainab in a way that she is very social with strangers

and always willing to go to parks and shopping. Zainab has a tremendous drive to use her
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motor skills. I have to keep an eye on Zainab because she quickly toddles off into the crowd at

public places or even into the street.

5. Is your child delayed or advanced in any area of development according to the 19-

month developmental examiner’s report? Based on what you have studied, do you

think this is most likely a result of specific biological or environmental

factors?(nature/nurture)

At around 19 months Zainab had an assessment done in which the specialists recorded

that Zainab scored at about the 12-15 month old range in terms of communication skill,

language comprehension, and language production. The examiner recommended that I spend

more time talking with Zainab, even if her replies are short or hard to understand. She also

recommended asking questions that require some kind of extended answer (rather than just

"yes" or "no"), and looking at and naming things in picture books, etc. However Zainab was

above age-norms for building a block tower to model one made by the examiner and other

spatial skills such as copying shapes, coloring within the lines and solving picture puzzles.

Zainab was about average for gross motor development. The examiner recommended

that I give her plenty of opportunities to play on indoor and outdoor play gyms and to play

games of catch and kickball with you. The examiner commented that Zainab was able to

concentrate very well during all of the informal testing, and if this continues, she would be

more than ready for preschool-type activities, which typically require children to stay on task

or remain in "group time" for 10-15 minutes. She also recommended getting Zainab to follow

simple directions at home, gradually increasing the complexity and length of the directions. I

think the report is most likely based on genetic and environmental factors since I was very shy

and unsocial when I was young and I was raised in a culture in which quite girls were admired
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more than talkative. Therefore, Zainab’s behavior was pretty much understood but the

environment she was raised in made her social as nature and nurture both played a great role

in developing her character.

6. Describe your child’s communication and language development in the first 30

months. Is your child developing at a typical or atypical rate?

Zainab was able to imitate actions or words that she used to see or hear. This greatly

expanded her ability to learn new things. Zainab also seemed to be aware of basic categories,

such as big or little, and blue or red. You can tell because of the way she used to sort her toys

out. At 3 months of age, Zainab started showing more intense interest in her surroundings.

She used to smile at familiar people and toys, laugh at surprising or funny things (such as a

little dog), and was developing lots of cute little habits. My cousin Melody came to live in my

house who later on became Zainab’s best friend. Sometimes Melody used to play and teach

Zainab to sing along a song with her. But at the age of 19 months Zainab went through an

assessment in which the specialist observed Zainab and recorded that Zainab scored at about

the 12-15 month old range in terms of communication skill, language comprehension, and

language production. The examiner recommended that I spend more time talking with Zainab,

even if her replies are short or hard to understand. She also recommended asking questions

that require some kind of extended answer (rather than just "yes" or "no"), and looking at and

naming things in picture books, etc. In terms of communication my child is developing in an a

typical rate according to the results but I think it’s just normal and in her genes because I

wasn’t talkative at all when I was young neither was social.


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7. How is your child progressing on typical toddler issues, such as learning household

rules, learning to follow routines, listening to you, developing self-control and

learning to get along with other children?

Zainab acts quite normal as my cousin melody came in to live with us and she pretty

much got attached to her. Zainab seemed to get along very well with the other kids, and was

unusually cooperative for a child of her age. The examiner thought that Zainab would adapt

well to the preschool environment. Zainab sometimes doesn't seem to understand simple

instructions, such as "Put the cup in the sink." shy smiles when asked to be in photographs,

looking guilty when she breaks something, and embarrassment when she has a potty accident.

You realize these new emotions are related to her developing self-awareness. Zainab enjoys

playing with a realistic two-story doll house and a mini doll family that you inherited from

your great Aunt, and likes to set up the rooms to be like some of the rooms in your house.

Zainab doesn't mind the rules very well at home, and sometimes resists dropping her current

activity for regular daily routines such as mealtime, bath time or bedtime. Zainab seems now

to have a goal of becoming potty trained and makes it to the potty about 60% of the time.

Zainab is toilet trained now, and rarely has any accidents. She is communicating better, but

has difficulty understanding other people's perspectives. Zainab knows her gender now, and

has begun to categorize behavior and objects as suited to boys or girls. She prefers playing

with girls, but gets along pretty well with boys. You figure she is ready for a more structured

preschool experience.

8. Analyze your own parenting philosophy and practices. What principles from

learning or social learning theory, Bowlby, Ainsworth, Piaget, Vygotsky,

information processing theory, neuroscience or other theories do you appear to


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have relied on in making your parenting choices or interpreting your child’s

behavior? Include three principles and identify one or more theorists who

espoused these principles in your answer.

I don’t really believe on any parenting philosophies as they are nothing but a mere

observance of how a child at what age would act. Which I think no one can best observe other

than a mother because she is the only person on this face of the earth who understands and

love her child the most therefore, it is very insane to act according to some norms or theorists

philosophies. My philosophy is that there is no parenting philosophy. You know the best how

your child is and therefore one should know how to raise that child however you want.

Choose the “One True Way" to raising a happy successful child. Off course there are some

priorities and boundaries that only I’m responsible and wise enough to teach my child and

raise her in a manner that she never lets me down.

I took psychology class last semester and we read about different parenting styles and

theories whereas my teacher just said one thing that clicked me that all children need is love,

care, and trust of you, these few things are the key to build confidence in your child and make

him/her successful in life. I love my child a lot and I try to do the best for her as I can. I’m not

saying that any theory is wrong but all I believe is that these theories are part of life that

happens no matter what so these are just some guidelines that some people follow to know

whether they are on the right track or no and these are considered as normal behavior but I

think like my daughter was not that communicative as was supposed to be around the age of

18 months because I wasn’t as well and I know that she was normal because I was just like

her. Here no theory applies but nature and nurture comes into existence therefore what I infer
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is that no behavior is wrong it’s just a matter of typical and atypical environment. And culture

and genes plays a great role.

Conclusion:

Because parents are so emotionally involved in their own child and because there are

such nuances in every individual’s development patterns (sometimes referred to as “biological

variability”), it definitely can be difficult to identify problems in children’s growth and

development. Therefore there are some psychologists’ theories and assessment tests to

observe whether a child is on right track or know. It is not important that a child has to certain

thing at certain age but most of the development revolves around nature and nurture.
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References

Ainsworth, M. S. (2012). Infant–mother attachment. American Psychological Association.

Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1980-09337-

001

Cherry, K. (2014). Attachment theory the importance of early emotional bonds. Retrieved from

http://psychology.about.com/od/loveandattraction/a/attachment01.htm

Ruffin, J. N. (2009). Understanding growth and development patterns of infants. Virginia

Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/350/350-055/350-055.html

Kail, (2009). Children and their development. Prentice Hall.

Normal growth and development (2014). Medline plus. Retrieved from

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002456.htm

Pressley & McCormick, (2007). Piaget stages and information-processing theories. Retrieved

from http://agnieszkawooters.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/piaget-stages-and-information-

processing-thoeries/

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