@* is the child observed for this case study.

She is a five-year-old girl and attends

Defiance Head Start in Ms. Keli and Ms. Brendas class. * a very sweet girl who usually has a

smile upon her face and a positive attitude. This work was completed in conjunction with student

teaching and is a learning experience for the college student. The summary may or may not be

accurate to the childs actual behavior and level of development.

In regard to separation and adjustment levels, * does at times mention missing her mother

or father but overall does not affect her day inside of the classroom. She does however tend to try

to attach herself to another adult in the classroom during free play or large motor play instead of

playing with other children. Following Bowlbys attachment theory for her age, she seems to

have a secure attachment knowing that her parents will come back for her after she is dropped off

and is at level for her age group of 4-5-year olds.

is doing well in the self-care aspect. She knows how to zip her coat, serve herself food

and drink, and take care of personal matters such as bathroom and handwashing. She may at

times need a gentle reminder to get the tasks done, but she does do them independently. She is

currently at age level for self-care for 4-5-year olds.

In physical development, * is developing on track. In large motor skills, she can run,

walk, skip, jump, throw a ball under and over hand. She also knows how to ride a tricycle and

climb. She is a bit nervous with heights but is overcoming them nicely. * is however struggling a

bit with her fine motor skills. She holds writing tools with a high, almost full fist grasp, has

difficulty with scissors and at times struggles to pick paper and small objects up. She in my

opinion is at level for her age with the large motor aspect of 5-6-year olds, but is below level at

her fine motor with being 3-4-year-old level.

 Social development for * has improved some since I first conducted my assessments

with*. She still does prefer independent play as well as parallel play more often then she does

with cooperative play. * listens very well to others and follows the rules when they are told to

her. She tends to speak out about her feelings to other children if they accidentally hurt her. She

is a sweet child that tends to be the mother duck in the classroom and likes to comfort other

children in distress. For her age of 4-5-year olds, she is at level for social development.

* is doing quite well for emotional development. She is still learning as are other children

her age, that sometimes words can hurt. She does however apologize almost immediately after

when she says something hurtful to a peer and in confronted about it. She trusts adults and her

peers as well as tends to be very truthful for her age.* does lack a bit of self-confidence but my

findings show that she is improving and is at level for her age of 4-5-year olds.

Regarding speech and language,* talks very well for her age. She does occasionally

mispronounce words, but she speaks full sentences, is easily understood, follows instructions,

and carries on conversations with adults and peers alike. Her vocabulary is well formed for her

age. She is above age level for speech and development of 5-6-year olds.

Memory and attention span is a difficult one for * She tends to get off topic and loses

focus easily. I have found through multiple interactions with her through assessments and

conversation that her attention span is usually less than five minutes and cannot carry through a

task without distraction. Regarding memory, * has difficulty remembering things previously

talked about beforehand such as a story read that day or letter previously writing. * is below level

for her age of 4-5-year olds in regard to memory and attention span. Her level is of that to a 3-4-

year-old and developing.

 * cognitive development is an ongoing process. * is having trouble learning and

memorizing formation of letters, shapes, and numbers. In assessments completed with Lia, she

only recognized four letters, and two numbers. Three of those letters were from her own name. *

is however, very good at problem solving. If she cannot complete something such as a puzzle or

a toy, she will continue to try until she figures it out or a peer or adult helps her. She is below

level for her age of 4-5-year olds in cognitive development and is at the age level of 3-4 years.

In regard to literacy development, * loves to be read books and tends to enjoy looking at

them as well. She knows that there are words in books and picks out letters that are in the book

that are also in her name. As with the cognitive development,* has difficulty with writing and

forming letter as well as difficulty in phonological/phonemic awareness and rhyme.* is below

age level of 4-5-year olds. She is currently at the level of 3-4-year olds.

In creativity of arts and blocks,* tends to mostly stay within the play dough area with

minimal time at the art or blocks area. At the playdough area, she creates figures and pretends to

be cooking or creating something from her imagination. When she is at the blocks area, she tends

to stack blocks or play with the toy dolls rather than create towers or build. In the arts, she loves

to paint and color. She tends to use her imagination and create her world full of animals, her

family, herself, and people she knows. * is at level for her age of 4-5 years.

In self-identity, * knows very well who she is. She knows she is a girl and what she likes

and dislikes. She is very vocal about who she is as an individual. She has a good self-esteem

most days with I am happy statements and I have never heard her talk negative about herself in

any way or form.* is at level with her age group of 4-5-year olds.
 * does very well with group interactions. She tends to stay with the group and interact

when called upon. She can communicate effectively in group situations and is not afraid to speak

when spoken to or answer questions. Lia is at her age level of 4-5-year olds.

Interacting with adults poses no problem for * . She tends to move more towards

interacting with adults than she does children at times. She likes to carry on conversations, play

and encourage play with adults. Lia is not afraid of any adult that comes into the classroom. She

will however attach herself to one adult and try to avoid peers if allowed. * is below level for her

age level of 4-5-year olds due to the overwhelming adult attachment she has.

* is developing well in physical, social and emotional development. She is a very sweet

child that loves to be around other adults and her peers as well. She has multiple strengths

including her care for others, her ability to keep trying at complex things, and she is always

around to give a kind word to her peers. Her cognitive and literacy abilities do need work. She is

struggling in writing and recognizing letters and words. She consistently says, I dont know or

I cant when it comes to copying or writing letters, numbers or shapes. Her name is barely

legible due to her fine motor skills and its an area of growth to be worked on. Other than that, *

is progressing well for her age of five.

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