Stages of group development

¶ … Developmental Audit (DA) provides an alternative assessment beyond traditional standardized tests and psychiatric diagnosis. It explores a young person's motivations, beliefs, and behaviors within the ecological context of family, school, peer group, and community (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). This paper seeks to determine the intricacies as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the DA and how to effectively employ the DA regarding vulnerable youth. The keys to discerning the perceptions and experiences of the young person and those who know this individual best include a number of variables provided from a number and variety of resources. The DA is used in a number of different settings and according to Brendtro et al. (2012) those settings can include schools, treatment centers and juvenile outreach programs, and of course, in the courts. Brendtro surmises that the DA is not just an information gathering tool, but that it can also be used to develop growth plans "for resilient life outcomes" (p. 7). Freado and Bath (2014) state that the Developmental Audit is designed as a specific acknowledgement that the young people who are participating in the DA face some very serious challenges. Many of these young boys and girls can be affected with serious emotional and conduct disorders, and face such issues as depression and anxiety.

Application

The application of the DA can be relevant in a number of arenas as discussed above, but it can be especially useful in the therapeutic environment, especially concerning families and youthful offenders who might not have the wherewithal to address violent or misbehaving youth. By using the DA to discover the underlying, or root causes for the behavior, the therapist or technician will have some idea as to how to approach the youth involved within a developmental setting. As Freado et al. (2014) suggests that the DA is not only designed to acknowledge the challenges life presents for these young people, but that it is oftentimes use in mental health and social service settings "as a format for treatment planning and case evaluation" (p. 21).

Main Points

The main points of the article are that the DA is an effective tool to gather information and data about and from vulnerable youth in order to understand in a more comprehensive manner, why these youth are acting out in the manner in which they do. The DA is helpful in developing an understanding of the 'complex causal pathways that lead to childhood disasters' (p. 23); and the DA helps to accomplish that by delivering a multi-faceted, developmentally-focused approach. Bendtro et al. (2012) support the articles assertion by finding that the DA is grounded on risk and resilience through extensive research. According to the article, the DA can be used to determine the youth's pathway, how he/she got to the point of the disaster, what led them to oftentimes take actions that most adults would shy away from, and what were the overwhelming influences that most influenced these young people to make the choices that they make. Most importantly however, is the assertion in the article that the DA is most beneficial to the specific individual because it provides an individualized restorative plan that helps answer essential questions such as why did this disaster take place?

Applying the DA

As stated above, the DA is a beneficial tool in a number of different settings; especially in the courts and treatment arenas. Implementing the DA in a therapeutic setting allows the therapist to address the root causes in a very individualized manner. This is beneficial because no two children are alike, no two circumstances are exactly the same, and oftentimes the best results come about when the focus of an intervention allows the therapist leeway to use a variety of treatment methods to address the core issues.

Limitation

The limitation of this article is that it takes a very biased view; the authors are proponents of the DA and it is evident throughout the article that the authors (for the most part) use the DA in an ongoing and consistent manner. The authors, however, do not present any views of the DA that are negative in scope, it would be interesting to determine if there are any negativities as compared to other interventions or methods of gathering data and prescribing treatments. Perhaps the DA is the best tool available based upon its usage and acceptance, but that does not preclude any negative aspects of the DA.