Cultural Assessment of a Child Aged Three

The Psychological Development of VL

Introduction

This paper describes the psychological development of a young girl named VL. At the age of 3 years and 11 months, VL is vibrant, talkative, curious, engaging and enthusiastic. She has boundless energy, and is part of a Jamaican family. She also has an older brother who is 7 years old and has been diagnosed with autism. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate VL's development in five key areas as per the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST). This paper also applies the theories of Freud and Piaget to VL so as to better understand her behavior. Finally, it provides an analysis of her genogram and a cultural assessment.

Theorist Application

Freud's Theory

Freud's psychosexual stages of development propose that children pass through a series of stages related to sexuality and psychological growth. According to Freud’s theory, VL is in the phallic stage, which occurs between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Freud says that in the phallic stage, the main focus for children is on discovering the differences between males and females (Jennings, 2022). In this stage, children can form a deep affection for the parent of the opposite sex; this observation is what led Freud to develop the theory he termed the Oedipus complex for boys and the Electra complex for girls. However, this theory has been widely criticized, particularly by Jung (former student of Freud), and is not so widely accepted today (Niaz et al., 2019).

The phallic stage is more applicable in VL's case in the sense of the child's exploration of her own body and as a stage where children assert their independence, often following the example of adult behaviors and roles. In VL's case, she showed a desire for control and autonomy that was evident in her interactions. For example, she took pride in identifying colors and characters on her nightgown, indicating her growing cognitive abilities and her desire to show off her knowledge. This is a common characteristic of the phallic stage, where children start to assert their understanding of the world around them (Jennings, 2022).

Also, VL's ability to clean up after herself, wash dishes, and mop the floor showed her desire to mimic adult behaviors, particularly those of her mother. This is a key aspect of the phallic stage, too: it is where children imitate the behaviors of their same-sex parent. VL's imitation of adult speech and her desire to clean like her mother could thus be seen as identification with her mother, which is a significant aspect of this stage (Niaz et al., 2019).

Freud believed that successful completion of this stage would lead to the development of a healthy personality (Jennings, 2022). The child would have a strong sense of initiative and would be able to balance their sense of ambition and responsibility. If this stage is not successfully navigated, however, the child might either become overly assertive or overly passive.

Piaget's Theory

Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory is a stage theory that describes how people’s ways of thinking develop as they interact with the world around them. Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational (Pakpahan & Saragih, 2022). VL falls into the preoperational stage, which typically spans from ages 2 to 7. In the preoperational stage, children take part in symbolic play and this very much characterized VL’s behavior. One point to keep in mind, though, is that their understanding of the world is still based on their own innocent perspective and they see things from their own central point of view, not realizing that other’s also have points of view of their own.

One aspect of the preoperational stage is the development of language. VL was able to name colors and engage in conversation with clear control of language. This showed a good example of her language development. She could name different colors and express her feelings well enough to be understood by an adult. This development represented a milestone in the preoperational stage.

The preoperational stage is also characterized by the emergence of pretend play. VL's imaginative play was evident when she pretended to clean, wash dishes, and mop the floor, and all of this showed that she was using her imagination and to engage in symbolic play. Children play like this when they practice their cognitive skills by putting themselves in different roles (like “mother” or “teacher”), which allows them to mimic what they see (Pakpahan & Saragih, 2022).

At this stage, kids also begin to understand the idea that one thing can represent or refer to another. VL connected the color of her nightgown to her slippers, which were the same color, and this would be an example of her having a sense of symbolic relationships. She was able to understand that the color "blue" could be associated with different objects.

At the same time, in this stage children are mainly egocentric, i.e., they view the world from their own perspective. VL's constant need for approval and reassurance from adults is a part of this. She wants that support to know she is doing whatever she is doing the right way.

Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST)

The Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) is a tool designed to identify children who may not be developing as expected. The test measures a child's development in four areas: personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, language, and gross motor skills (Vagha et al., 2023). It is used for children from ages 0 to 6.

The DDST can help identify strengths and areas where a child might need additional support. For instance, if VL excels in language skills but shows a delay in fine motor skills, interventions could be applied for this specific issue. The DDST also can be used for monitoring development over time. Regular evaluations can help detect any delays or regressions in development. Early detection can be a boon in terms of making it possible to implement early intervention (Vagha et al., 2023).

The results of the DDST can also be helpful as a general guide of what kind of focus interventions should have. If, for example, VL were found to be struggling with something like naming colors (for the record, she did not have this problem), activities involving color recognition could be used with her to help her develop this skill.

The DDST can also give information to parents about their child's development. They can see areas where they might need some support in making decisions about their child's care or educational needs. It can also guide them in making efforts to give additional support (if needed) in terms of their child's development at home (Vagha et al., 2023).

More specifically, the personal-social domain of the test is used to evaluate the child's ability to interact with others. It looks at actions like smiling, feeding, dressing, and playing. For example, a 3-year-old like VL should be able to perform tasks like undressing, washing hands, and playing games with simple rules. VL could do all these things, which shows that according to the test she is developing in accordance with what would be normally expected of a child her age at this level in this particular area.

The fine motor-adaptive domain looks at hand-eye coordination (Vagha et al., 2023). It is an assessment of the kind of motor skills that all children develop at around this age. It looks at things like holding, drawing, stacking blocks, using small utensils, and so on. In VL's case, she showed that she could brush her teeth and make a bowl of cereal on her own, and so there was nothing out of the ordinary here.

The language domain looks at the child's ability to use language correctly and in the right context. Depending on the age of the child, it might include anything from cooing and babbling to understanding simple instructions or naming objects correctly and speaking in sentences (Vagha et al., 2023). VL's ability to name four colors and partake in conversation with an adult showed that she was good for her age in terms of language development.

The gross motor domain is an area where the child's overall physical coordination is measured. This would be things like rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, running, or hopping. VL showed that she could hop on one foot and thus passed this test, too.

Overall, the DDST is a screening tool, not a diagnostic test. It can help one to see if a child might need more evaluation—but it cannot show that a child has a disorder or issue in and of itself. It is more helpful in showing that a child is meeting milestone appropriate for the age. However, it does not explain necessarily why there might be a developmental delay if there is one. But if there are consistent delays across multiple domains it may warrant further investigation (Vagha et al., 2023). Thus, the benefits of the DDST are that it can help one to see warning flags and catch developmental problems early on. It could be useful as an aid in spotting something like autism at a young age. This would be relevant to VL, since she has an older brother who is autistic. The DDST in her case shows that she is developing in a way that clearly shows she is meeting developmental milestones and is not in any need of extra-special interventions at this point. Her motor skills, social skills, language skills, and cognitive skills are all advancing as is appropriate for a girl at her stage in life. Were she on the autism spectrum she would likely not score as well with such a test.

Genogram

The genogram of VL’s family offers insight into VL's family dynamics, genetic tendencies, and the social environment in which she is growing up. The genogram is a way to see how family systems influence people within that system, based on what is known about those individuals and the relationships between people (Gebhardt, 2023).

On VL's paternal side, it is evident that her grandfather is deceased at the age of 64 due to Congestive Heart Failure. Her grandmother is 86 years old with a history of high cholesterol and is a current smoker. VL's father is 55 years old with a history of hypertension. VL has an uncle who is 58 years old with a history of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and an aunt by marriage who is 59 years old. There are also cousins in this side of the family, one of whom is 22 years old with a history of cerebral palsy. While not all of this information is going to apply to VL at this point in her life, the information may be helpful in terms of identifying potential future health risks (Gebhardt, 2023).

It can also be helpful for understanding VL’s relationships with her relatives. On VL's maternal side, her grandfather is deceased at the age of 74. Her grandmother is 73 years old with a history of Diabetes Mellitus Type II. VL's mother is 41 years old. VL has an uncle by marriage who is 47 years old with a history of obesity and another uncle who is deceased at the age of 39. There is an aunt who is 45 years old with a history of anxiety and depression. There are also cousins on this side of the family, ranging in age from 6 to 17 years old. For these reasons, it may be said that VL might not have a lot of opportunities to spend time with family relatives, as there are few her own age, and her grandparents are elderly with some health problems. Health issues are also evident in her own immediate family. VL has a brother who is 7 years old with a diagnosis of autism. She has multiple cousins, with ages ranging from 6 months to 26 years old, but one of her cousins who is 22 years old has a history of cerebral palsy. So health problems are in her family.

All told, this genogram reveals that VL's family dynamics and health history are unique and create a situation in which there is a family history of various health issues, including heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, cerebral palsy, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and autism. This information could be used in assessing potential genetic risks for VL and possibly in planning her care should some issue arise (Gebhardt, 2023).

Cultural Assessment

A cultural assessment looks at ethnic, language, religious, health, and social practices. VL and her family are of Jamaican descent. This cultural background may influence their values, beliefs, and practices, including a strong emphasis on family ties, respect for elders, and the importance of education. In Jamaican families, there are usually close family ties (Sinanan, 2019). This can show in different ways, such as regular family gatherings, mutual support in times of need, and a strong sense commitment to the family. For VL, this might mean that she has a large support network and that her family plays a significant role in her upbringing. Her family is large as the genogram shows, but it is also limited due to age and health issues.

Likewise, respect for elders is a common value in Jamaican culture (Sinanan, 2019). Elders often play a role in the upbringing of younger family members. For VL, this could mean that her grandparents and other older family members are there in her life, which is true as her grandmother does babysit her and VL looks forward to this by taking a transition object with her, which helps her with the move in location from one home to another.

Education is valued in Jamaican culture and VL’s educational development is on par with what would be seen as good in the culture (Sinanan, 2019). Many families believe that education is the key to a good life. So for VL, this might mean that her family has high expectations for her academic performance and invests a lot of time and resources into her education.