This is a Brigance screening for JJ. JJ is 30 months old, and her parents speak Mandarin, which makes her bilingual as she understands both English and Chinese. JJ attends the same school with her sister. JJ and her sister live with their parents and grandmother. I first met JJ when she was 18 months. She was not very playful at the time. She can now understand English even though she still has difficulties expressing herself in English. JJ is very sensitive and used to cry about every little thing even when I changed her diapers. JJ loves to carry her water bottle, but other children around her love to take her water bottle from her. The screening test is very important for children to assess their development. JJ is developing gross and fine motor skills normally although she seems to be having difficulties with the acquisition of language, an aspect which can be attributed to her Chinese cultural and social context.
Gross motor skills
JJ shows an emotional attachment to her water bottle which is part of the gross motor skills. Between 24 and 30 months a child builds an emotional attachment to a particular object or toy. She is laws carrying it around and when her peers try to take it away from her she cries a lot. She can easily walk on a level ground carrying her water bottle without losing balance. When asked to pick her water bottle form another corner of the room she walks without falling in a straight line to get her water bottle. When her sister comes to pick her up she runs towards her smiling and vocalizing in joy. She climbs up and down the steps with both feet on the floor. Her sister had to come to assist her as she would not listen to anything the nurse asked her to do. Although she has trouble playing with other children which I associate with her lack of understanding of the English language, JJ can jump with both of her feet off the floor. She loves to play with one of the children at the playground whom she likes. She jumped up and down chasing bubbles in the playground with other children. JJ can balance on one foot for a few seconds. When removed one of her shoes JJ refused to step on the floor for a few minutes before she eventually tired and settled her foot on the floor. She can also kick the ball with the use of one leg. In the playground when the ball was kicked in her direction and rested at her feet she kicked it away from her. She tries to catch small objects such as objects when they are thrown in her direction as she pretends to play with adults and other children. She tried chasing after bubbles in the playing ground and managed to catch and bust a number of them in the playground.
Fine motor skills
JJ is still reluctant to imitate an adult to draw a picture of an object such as a cross or a circle. At first she refused to follow the actions of her teacher but after watching her peers draw circles she also started drawing circles with a crayon. She can also stack a few blocks to build a tower. A number of blocks were placed in front of her in her room with other children building stocks. After a while she also picked the blocks and started stacking them.
Relationship with adults
JJ is shy, and her language development is not good. She often calls out mei mei which is the Chinese word for sister. She runs away from other adults such as other room teachers, but she is comfortable around other children her age. When I communicate with her in Mandarin, she just stares at me. JJ is shy with adults and is afraid of strangers. When I speak to her in Mandarin, she stares attentively at my face and also pays attention to other people’s faces. She follows people visually and responds with a smile. To get attention, JJ usually vocalizes. JJ demonstrates some amount of interest in other people’s activities. She likes to explore but at the end, she always comes back to her caregiver. JJ does not give affection or gesture with her arms for up to be picked up. JJ does not take pride when she is praised for something good that she has done.
The fact that she is bilingual causes her difficulties when playing with other children. JJ understands the meaning of the word where and she responds by pointing in a particular direction. She responds negatively and to the word no and don’t touch me. When approached she responds with a smile.
Summary of child’s skills
JJ is more inhibited in her temperament. This can be attributed to her parents being Chinese as Chinese parents are more accepting to the inhibited temperaments in their children. JJ language development is not good. Between the age of 18 and 24 months, a child should be able to make two-word sentences. At this age children rely heavily on gestures. She has acquired both gross and fine motor skills as expected, although she seems to lag behind in her language acquisition skills. This aspect can be attributed to both her cultural context as well as the fact that her family is bilingual. JJ is also comfortable with her fellow children, but she is afraid and shy of strangers who are adults. JJ is also actively engaged as she plays with her peers out in the playground and she always remembers to come back to the teaching room after she is done playing in the field.
Her language development skills are still lagging behind. Although language learning starts by making distinctions of various sounds, she has managed to associate mei mei with her sister. At her age she should be making two-word sentences. Most children begin learning a language by making a string of identical syllables. Children are also familiar with language which is used by their parents. When she is spoken to in Mandarin, she stares at the speaker because she recognizes the language from her parents. Even though she does not express herself, JJ pays attention when I speak to her in Mandarin since the language is familiar to her.
Lessons from completing this assignment.
The learning process is built upon four foundations which include well-being, belonging, expression and engagement. Children seek for these conditions in their learning environment which in turn enhance their learning process. Belonging arises from the connection the child forms with others such as other kids, the educator and family members. Children feel a greater level of connection with their fellow kids as compared to adults which explains why they are more relaxed around other children but tend to be shy and afraid of adults. Well-being addresses the concept of self, and the child should learn how to express their personal needs to others even teachers . Children can demonstrate this by learning to say no to others even when they are adults. Engagement enhances the learning process by getting actively involved with the world around them. Children achieve this through playing and exploring the world around them. At an early age, children are expected to be curious, and this leads them to explore the environment around them. Problem-solving, innovation and critical thinking are enhanced in the process through activities such as pretend playing. The expression is also an important aspect of the learning process as children need to express themselves and communicate. Children learn complex communications through behavior, body movements, words and materials.
The learning process is influenced by various factors which include family, cultural context, social contexts, life experiences and individual perspectives. Understanding the child is an important aspect for the educator who intends to enhance the learning process for the child. The well-being of a child includes both the physical and emotional well-being of a child. Physical well-being can be enhanced through healthy eating, physical activity and sleeping properly. Active playing contributes to the emotional well-being of the child through acquisitions of skills such as self-control, independence, perseverance and intellectual competence among others. Childhood programs can achieve this by instilling self-care skills to the child and self-regulation which monitors and balances all the factors surrounding and influencing the learning process of the child. The well-being of the child is also another major aspect to maintain. Children are becoming victims of mental disorders at an extremely early age . Most of these problems are related to stress resulting from their relationships with their family members. A strength-based approach can be used to foster the relationships between children and their families to ensure their mental wellness. Playing is children’s way of actively engaging with the world around them. Educators play an important role by acting as facilitators and the environment as the object for their learning process. Each child is unique and has a unique way of communicating and expressing themselves. By understanding how each child communicates, the educator offers the child a chance to learn.
How often do you feel the Brigance should be completed on your child? Why?
The Brigance screening should be conducted for the child from as early as the age of 4 months and should be conducted every six months up to the age of 5 years of age. Brigance enables the parent to access all the areas involved in the child’s development and come up with intervention programs in case they are necessary. For parents who are already using intervention programs, the Brigance test assesses the effectivity of the intervention program .
How would you introduce a family to the Brigance during an interview (Use specific quotes as to what you would say to parents if given the chance)?
The early years are crucial to the foundation of health and well-being throughout life. The Brigance screening tool has the potential to identify the health indicators of a child at a tender age. The 30-month developmental stage is especially important since it is associated with emotional, social, cognitive, language and speech development. The procedure allows for the assessment of the child and the devising of appropriate measures for the child’s development. The procedure allows for a health promotion plan which corresponds with the outcome of the assessment .
In conclusion, JJ’s language acquisition skills are affected by both cultural and social contexts since she is born to Chinese parents who speak in Mandarin in the house. The Chinese are also more accepting to an inhibited temperament. JJ is however engaged, and she is also assertive as she can say no. She is, however, lagging behind in her communication. Both her gross and fine motor skills are also developing as expected as she can run, jump and hop. She has become attached to her water bottle which she carries around. She recognizes her sister and even refers to her mei mei which is the Chinese term for sister. At her age, however, she should be able to make two-word sentences. She recognizes objects and people and even follows them visually. As expected of her age, she is scared of adults although she recognizes her caregiver and returns to her after she is done exploring. With the new information on her cultural and social contexts, adjustments can be made to enhance the learning process for JJ.
References
Bedford, H., Walton, S., & Ahn, J. (2013, June). Measures of Child Development: A review. Retrieved from UCL: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/cpru/documents/review_of_measures_of_child_development
MCH. (2011, December). MCH Key Ages & Stages revised Framework . Retrieved from Maternal and Child Health Care Services : http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/professionals/health/kasfaqs.pdf
The Ontario Public Service. (2014). How Does Learning Happen. Retrieved from Ontario: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/HowLearningHappens.pdf
