CASE STUDY OF

A CHILD AGE 10
STEPHANIE M C E LVA I N

EDU 220-1002
 BRIEF OVERVIEW OF 10-YEAR OLD
CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT IN
DEVELO P M ENTAL AR EAS

Physical Development Emotional Development Cognitive/Intellectual

• Concerns about peer relationships
• Increased and consistent growth
• Likes privacy
Development
(height and weight) • Thinks logically
• Obesity can become an issue • Casual and relaxed
• Concerned with what is "popular"
• Girls surpass boys in flexibility, • Not generally angry
• May like reading
balance, and rhythmic movements • Compares self to others
• Many interests that do not last long
• Can sit still for longer periods of time • May begin to show talent
• Enjoy arts and music
• Bodily coordination is relatively stable

Psychosocial/Social Moral/Character/Philosophical
Development Development
• Peer group begins to replace adults • Strong sense of justice
for behavior standards • Strict moral code
• More interested in getting along with • More concerned in wrong-doings than right-
peers on their own doings
• Concerned about peer acceptance
• Likely have best friend of same
gender and interests
 • Girls may have rapid weight increase

 (University of Washington, 1993)

• Girls may develop breast buds

Mediline Plus, 2020)

TYPICAL • Obesity can become a problem
PHYSICAL (Snowman, Cengage Learning, 2015)
B E H AV I O R S • Girls may begin to enter puberty, growing armpit and leg hair

(Mediline Plus, 2020)

 • Boys and girls become leaner and stronger

(Snowman, Cengage Learning, 2015, Page 16)

• Obesity can become a problem

TYPICAL (Snowman, Cengage Learning, 2015, Page 16)

PHYSICAL • Gender differences in motor skill performance are apparent
DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING (Snowman, Cengage Learning, 2015, Page 16)
TO SNOWMAN • Period of relative calm and predictability in phisical development

(Snowman, Cengage Learning, 2015, Page 16)

 • Meets Development Milestones:
• Developing breast buds
• Relativiely calm demeaner unless she forget to take her ADHD medication
• Does Not Meet Development Milestones:
• The 10-year-old that I observed is significantly smaller than most students her age. This may
be due to the medication that she has been on for the past few years for ADHD.
• Low appetite unless junk food is presented. 

10-YEAR-OLD PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S ( O B S E R VA T I O N S )
 PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT
R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S
• Support health and safety 

(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

• Provide good nutrition

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Practice fine motor skills, example: provide skateboard to practice on

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Encourage the child to think of natural consequences of their actions

(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

• Encourage at least one hour of physical activity per day

(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

 • Concerned with style

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Is casual and relaxed

(University of Washington, 1993)

TYPICAL • Become more aware of one's own body
EMOTIONAL (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)
B E H AV I O R S • Start to seek indepence from family

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

• May being to see the point of view of others more easliy
(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)
 • Develop a more global, integrated, and integrated self-image that
is made of their own self-description, self-esteem, and self-
concept

(Snowman, Cengage Learning, 2015, Page 18)

TYPICAL • Negative family relationships, social rejection, and failure at
EMOTIONAL school might lead to unwanted behavior
DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING (Snowman, Cengage Learning, 2015, Page 18)
TO SNOWMAN • Late maturing girls may be confident and outgoing

(Snowman, Cengage Learning, 2015, Page 22)

 • Meets Developmental Milestones:
• Strives to help and please adults
• Easily upset by low grades
• Afraid to upset others
• Worried about what peers may think
• Does Not Meet Developmental Milestones:
• Impulsive if ADHD medication is forgotten

1 0 - Y E A R - O L D E M O T I O N A L B E H AV I O R
C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S ( O B S E R VA T I O N S )
 EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S
• Use appropriate discipline without harshness

(Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

• Allow child to select clothes and hairstyle within a firm budget

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Provide personal space

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Recognize and accept feelings of anger

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Provide opportunities for appropriate socialization

(University of Washington, 1993)

 • Logical Thinking, though it may be constrained and inconsistent

(Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)

• Children of this age can perform limited complex memory tasks.

TYPICAL (Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)

COGNITIVE/ • Some children in this age group may perform as well as
INTELLECTUA adolescents on simple memory tasks.

L B E H AV I O R S (Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)

 Piaget Vygotky
• Concrete Operational Stage • How we think is a
function of both social
• Becomes less influenced by
and cultural
COGNITIVE/ perceptual centration, forces (Snowman, J.,
INTELLECTUAL irreversibility, and McCown, R.,
DEVELOPMENTS egocentrism (Snowman, J., Psychology Applied to
McCown, R., Psychology Applied
ACCORDING TO Teaching 2015, page 51)
to Teaching 2015, page 42-43)
PIAGET AND
• Greater understanding of logic-
VYGOTSKY based tasks(Snowman, J.,
McCown, R., Psychology Applied
to Teaching 2015, page 42-43)
• Operational thinking is limited to
object that are at hand (Snowman,
J., McCown, R., Psychology
Applied to Teaching 2015, page
42-43)
 • Meets Developmental Milestones:
• The 10-year-old girl that I observed is a logical thinker and can complete tasks that involve
problem-solving thinking
• The child is inquisitive
• She is learning how to play guitar with a computer-based program
• Holds a decent level of conversation
• The child can complete age appropriate chores at the level that is expected of her

10-YEAR-OLD COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL
C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S ( O B S E R VA T I O N S )
 COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUA
L DEVELOPMENTS
R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S
• Share books and talk with the child

(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

• Encourage and teach child to use logical thinking and problem solvin

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Encourage reading and provide age and reading level appropriate books

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Provide lessons in art or music

(University of Washington, 1993)

 • Peer group becomes more stable and begins to replace adult
influence on behavior
(Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)
• Increasingly concerned with peer acceptance
TYPICAL
(Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)
PSYCHOSOCIAL/
• Affectionate with parents, holds parents high
SOCIAL
B E H AV I O R S (University of Washington, 1993)
• Very selective with friends

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Best friend is likely of the same gender and has similar interests

(Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)

 Industry Versus Inferiority
• Intellectual curiosity and performance drives behavior
TYPICAL (Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)
PSYCHOSOCIAL
• Industry results when child is encouraged and praised for trying,
/SOCIAL
helped to persevere, and allowed time to finish tasks
DEVELOPMENT
(Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)
S ACCORDING
TO ERIKSON • If the child thinks their efforts are unsuccessful or treated as if
they're bothersome, feelings of inferiority result.
(Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to Teaching 2015)
 Meets Developmental Milestones:
• The child has a small group of girl friends

• She loves going to school

• The 10-year-old I observed loved her teacher and is excited that her teacher will be moving to
fourth grade as well and that she will be in that teacher's class.
• Was held back to repeat third grade for the 19-20 school year, was very concerned about her peer's
thoughts about her.
• Easily let down by herself and needs extra encouragement

10-YEAR-OLS PSYCHOSOCIAL
C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S ( O B S E R VA T I O N S )
 PSYCHOSOCIAL/SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENTS
R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S
• Show warmth and sensitivity to child 

(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

• Spend plenty of time with the child

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Accept the child's need for and their choice of friends

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Be accepting of the child's need to feel "in" with the peer group that they choose

(University of Washington, 1993)

 • Has strong sense of right and wrong

TYPICAL (University of Washington, 1993)

MORAL/ • Has a strict moral code

CHARACTER/ (University of Washington, 1993)

PHILOSOPHICAL • More concerned with what is wrong than with what is right

(University of Washington, 1993)

B E H AV I O R S
 Level 2- Conventional Morality
"Typical of 9-12-year-olds. Called conventional since most 9-12-
MORAL/ year-olds conform to the conventions of society because they are
CHARACTER/ the rules of a society." (Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology
PHILOSOPHICA Applied to Teaching 2015)
L
• Stage 3- Good boy- Nice girl orientation. Pleasing or impressing
DEVELOPMENTS
ACCORDING TO others is a main drive in performing the "right
action" (Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to
KOHLBERG
Teaching 2015)
• Stage 4- Law-and-Order Orientation. Child wants fixed rules
that should be obeyed in order to maintain the social order
(Snowman, J., McCown, R., Psychology Applied to
Teaching 2015)
 Meets Developmental Milestones:
• Wants to please adults be doing the "right thing"

• Tries to impress friends by acting more grown up

• She is always telling classmates to stay on task because it is the "right thing to do"

Does Not Meet Developmental Milestones:

• Impulsive decision making when ADHD medication is forgotten

MORAL/CHARACTER/PHILOSOPHICAL
C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S ( O B S E R VA T I O N S )
 MORAL/CHARACTER/PHILOSOPHICAL
DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

• Have routines and household rules

(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

• Recognize that the child's sense of justice is limited to one world.

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Acknowledge any injustices

(University of Washington, 1993)

• Accept rigidity and support child's concern about right and wrong, do not belittle

(University of Washington, 1993)

REFERENCES
• Author unknown. 2020. Child Development Basics. Location Unknown. Center for Disease Control and
Prevention. 6/21/2020. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html
• Author unknown. 2020. Middle Childhood (9-11 Years of Age). Location Unknown. Center for Disease
Control and Prevention. 6/21/2020. 
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle2.html
• Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA. 2019. Adolescent Development. Location Unknown. Mediline Plus.
6/21/2020 https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002003.htm
• Author Unknown. 1993. Child Development. Location Unknown. University of Washington. 6/21/2020 
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/cdevguid/cdg12.htm#MORAL
• Snowman, J., McCown, R., 2015. Psychology Applied to Teaching. Stamford, CT. Cengage Learning.