Hunter Arias – Week Three
Hunter, now just over two years of age, has proven to be a
much different child than Jake. Hunter struggled to meet some developmental
milestones and always seemed to be, in Rick and Sandy’s estimation “difficult.”
It seemed to them like many things were a struggle – transitioning from
breast-feeding to bottle-feeding, getting dressed, learning to use the potty,
and being around other kids. In his day care, Hunter is a “handful” and has to
have close supervision. There were, of
course, the tantrums at home. Rick’s mother says they are normal, and that
Hunter just needs old-fashioned discipline. On top of that, Hunter still hasn’t
started to speak. He makes slight grunts but otherwise does not communicate
verbally. Jake, now 6 years old, has started to “act out” at home and at
school. In fact, the school has requested a parent conference to talk about the
behavioral difficulties Jake has had in the 1st grade.
* What should Sandy and Rick expect at this point in terms
of Hunter’s major developmental milestones? What should a 24-month old be
doing?
* What should Rick and Sandy do, if anything, to figure out
what is happening with Hunter? Develop a step-by-step plan for assessments that
they might complete as well as the associated professionals who might conduct
such assessments. Assuming Rick and Sandy lived in Harrisonburg, who would
carry out the assessments you recommend?
* What is PACE? Is Hunter eligible? Why or why not? (Hint:
Contact the McNulty Center, the children’s part of the Community Services
Board)
* What else is important for you to know about
Hunter’s family at this point? (Hint: Think about all that you don’t currently
know about the family that could be helpful for you with regard to demographic
information.)
According to The New Parent Guide, at this point in Hunter’s development he should be able to dress himself, follow two- step requests, name simple pictures and name at least six body parts. Rick and Sandy should be able to understand half of Hunter’s speech at this age and he should be able to make 3 to 4 word sentences. He should also be able to walk up and down stairs without any assistance. Hunter at this age should be engaging in play with other children and like to sing and jump. Based on this information and milestones of a 24 month old, Hunter has a delay in language and speech because he does not communicate verbally.
ReplyDeleteThe first step that the family should take is to do research regarding Hunter’s developmental delays to see if they are serious concerns for the family. If the research they are finding regarding developmental milestones does not match up with Hunter’s abilities and current stages in life, they should contact their pediatrician. The pediatrician or doctor will make sure the parents concerns are valid concerns. If the doctor sees that there are in fact developmental problems or delays, the doctor will give the child a screening. This is a good way to identify any delays early in life. Screening tools enable you to detect a specific disorder in the child, an area of delay such as language, or a general area of concern which could include multiple problems. However, the screening tools will not provide the parents with a diagnosis. If the screening results are positive the family must continue on to get an assessment for the child. The screening tools enable the doctors to narrow down the developmental problems that the child may be experiencing and the assessment would provide you with a more clear diagnosis.
ReplyDeletePACE stands for the Parent and Child Education
ReplyDeleteAccording to Lacy at the McNulty Center, Hunter would not be eligible for their services. She said that children between the ages of birth to 3 years old are referred to the Infant and Toddler Connection (ITC). They would then need to perform a screening and eligibility test to determine if Hunter is truly eligible for PACE. According to Lacy, based on the information we told her Hunter sounds like an atypical child and would probably qualify for ASQ, but testing would need to be completed first to determine his eligibility.
It is important to know information about Hunter’s biological mother. It is imperative to know whether she drank/smoked or not during her pregnancy, took prenatal vitamins or not, and what she might have possibly been exposed to while carrying Hunter to term (ie. diseases, illnesses). Was she or the biological father exposed to any pollutants if they lived near a city or factory? It is also important to know about Rick and Sandy’s life as well. Did they go on with Hunter’s vaccinations or not? Did Rick and Sandy go to college, what is their education level? Can they support Hunter and Jake with their current incomes assuming there are employed? Where in Harrisonburg to they reside? Is their home life in a safe and clean environment?
ReplyDeleteLacy guided us to look at the Infantva.org website, however there was no publication information; therefore we just used it to reiterate what Lacy had already informed us. http://www.infantva.org/Families.htm
ReplyDeleteCenter for disease control and prevention (2005, September 20). Child development. Received from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/tools.htm
The New Parents Guide. (2009). Child Development and Developmental Milestones. Retrieved from http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/baby-development-month-22to24.htm
Questions for Group 1:
ReplyDelete1) Have the parents thought about early intervention for Hunter, since he hasn't started speaking or reaching any milestones for his age?
2) Does Hunter interact with Jake, if so, what kind of interactions?
3) Do the parents discipline both children the same way?