Assessment 2 Case Study Analysis: Early Childhood

Analyze the development of a young child in a case study by applying theories and recommend an evidence-based intervention.

Expand AllIntroduction

Note: The assessments in this course follow the successive stages of lifespan development, so you are strongly encouraged to complete them in sequence.

Early childhood begins at the end of toddlerhood, at approximately age two, and continues until middle childhood begins with formal school entry at age five or six. During this period, there are greater changes in cognitive development than any other period of life. At the same time, family relationships provide individuals with their earliest social experiences. Attachment patterns developed during early childhood influence an individual’s ability to successfully develop and maintain peer and adult relationships throughout the lifespan.

Two major theories describe cognitive development in early childhood: Piaget’s constructivist theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory.

Jean Piaget was one of the first theorists interested in cognitive development. Piaget proposed that cognitive development follows a predetermined sequence of four stages. Interestingly, Piaget conducted a substantial amount of his research observing his own three children. In their studies, Piaget and his wife transcribed detailed records of their children’s behavior (Lefmann & Combs-Orme, 2013).

Lev Vygotsky (1962) emphasized the role of culture or society in the transmission of knowledge and offers a sociocultural perspective of lifespan development, integrating social environment and culture. He is well known for the introduction of the concepts of scaffolding, the zone of proximal development, and the private speech transformation to inner speech.

Two other important major theories are psychosocial development theory and attachment theory. Attachment is an important aspect of human emotional development during early childhood and throughout the lifespan. The family provides individuals with their earliest social experiences. According to Erik Erikson’s (1950) psychosocial theory of development, the key developmental issue in infancy is developing trust. The development of trust is directly related to the quality of attachment patterns. Attachment theory, originated by John Bowlby, emphasizes the importance of the physical and emotional bond that infants develop with their primary caretaker/s. Evidence for it is based on the strange situation, which is a measurement technique developed by Mary Ainsworth and her colleagues (Bretherton, 2013). There are four types of attachment patterns:

• Secure attachment.
• Avoidant attachment.
• Ambivalent attachment.
• Disorganized-disoriented attachment.

Other topics related to attachment include stranger anxiety and separation anxiety, intergenerational attachment patterns, the long-term effects of attachment, and the introduction of the concepts of mutual regulation and social referencing.

At this point, the direct application of attachment theory to the world of work may seem remote to you. However, attachment can affect an individual’s ability to successfully develop and maintain peer and adult relations.

As you continue to learn about each of these theories, consider their application in areas such as family interactions, community relationships, education, the workplace, and more.

References

Bretherton, I. (2013). Revisiting Mary Ainsworth’s conceptualization and assessments of maternal sensitivity-insensitivity. Attachment & Human Development, 15(5/6), 460484.

Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). Norton.

Lefmann, T., & Combs-Orme, T. (2013). Early brain development for social work practice: Integrating neuroscience with Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23(5), 640647.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and language. MIT Press.

Overview

As you have been reading, there are multiple aspects of development in the early years, including biological, cognitive, emotional, social, and the development of a sense of self. What are the risk factors in a baby’s life that impede healthy emotional development? How do different parenting styles affect a child’s development of a sense of self? For this assessment, you will analyze a case study that deals with the early childhood stage of development, applying course concepts you have learned.

In the field, professionals work with individuals to understand their development and current progress and concerns. As professionals, understanding development through the framework of theories can help us understand when challenges are present and how to intervene. We look to theory, interventions based in theory, and then research that tests the theories and interventions to guide us in understanding and assisting the people we serve. For this assessment, you consider a case, apply theory, and support a recommended intervention for the person in the case.

Instructions

In this assessment, you’ll choose one case. Please choose only from the cases in the . Do not use other cases or make up your own. In your paper, present the person and the concerns they are facing. Then, apply developmental theories to specifics of their case. You’ll choose and describe a potential intervention for the person and the challenges faced. Finally, you’ll support that recommended intervention with evidence from research studies.

Applying theories helps to structure our understanding of what is happening with a child and their family, and assists in guiding us in designing interventions specific for a child and their family. Examples of relevant theories are Piaget’s cognitive theory, Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, and Erikson’s psychosocial theory.

As you review the case, consider the following:

• The child’s strengths and challenges.
• The medical, family, and social context.
• The developmental challenges that were evident in the behavior of the child.
• Individual and cultural factors that theory and/or research indicate could impact the child’s development.
• Any other factors you deem appropriate based on your understanding of the theory and related research.

To apply theories to the case, explore:

• Theory and research related to early childhood development in the cognitive and psychosocial domains.
• Piaget, Vygotsky, or Eriksons’ age- or stage-related milestones expected at the age of your selected child.
• What the child struggles with not meeting the expected theoretical milestones in the cognitive or psychosocial domains.
• Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of the various systems that can influence development. Think about the typical influences in those systems that would likely be most evident for the child in your selected case.
• The environmental context for the child in specific systems in Bronfenbrenner’s theory. Any specific issues that you want to explore through research, such as influences of a specific culture or ethnicity, specific socioeconomic status, family structure, attachment issues, and neighborhood context.
• Literature on cognitive and/or psychosocial development over time, considering that early influences can impact development across the lifespan.

Maintain a resource list of the materials you consulted. Cite and reference any that you use in your paper.

Once you have explore these theories, ideas, and questions, decide on the theories that you want to apply to the case that you selected. In your paper include:

1. Application of Theory.

• A brief summary of the case, highlighting factors relevant in the development of the child in the case.
• Describe and apply two theories to the case. Explain why and how the theories are relevant to specifics in the case.
• Analyze individual, familial, cultural, or contextual factors that you see in the case study and how they may relevant in understanding the development of the person in the case.

1. Application of Research.

• Describe an intervention that you have read about in scholarly research articles and explain how it is relevant to specifics for the child in the case.
• Find a minimum of two scholarly research articles on the intervention and present the findings as support (evidence) for the potential effectiveness of the intervention.

Follow APA guidelines for style and formatting, as well as for citing your resources. Include a reference list of the resources you use. Make sure that your sources are credible, viable, published sources that you have read. No information or sources should be generated from artificial intelligence (AI).

The case study analysis should be a maximum of six pages in length, including the introduction and conclusion, each of which should be approximately one half-page in length. The body of the paper should not exceed five to six pages.

Structure of the Report

Use the and the following format to structure your report:

• Title Page.
• Introduction: Include an overview of the contents, with a brief summary and background information on the case study.
• Case Study Analysis:
• Present the challenge: Explain the presenting challenge or challenges and primary issue or issues for the person in the case study that you selected.
• Apply lifespan theories: Consider lifespan development theories to determine the most appropriate theory or theories and apply them to the case. Note that to achieve a distinguished score, you will need to apply more than one theory.
• Discuss individual and contextual differences: Discuss possible individual, familial, group/cultural, or contextual factors that may impact the individual’s current development and functioning.
• Present an intervention: Search for an intervention that you find appropriate for the individual (or family if applicable) in the case and describe the intervention. Make sure that you find support for the intervention so that you can achieve the next step.
• Provide research support for an intervention: Search the Capella library for studies that test the intervention you select. Present research articles and their findings that show support for the potential effectiveness of the intervention. Note that to reach distinguished, you will need at least two research articles that support the intervention.
• Conclusion: A conclusion that summarizes the case study context, challenges, and interventions.
• References: Cite a minimum of four current peer-reviewed articles, as well as your course text, to support your assertions for a total minimum of five references. You may use additional sources as needed.

Example Assessment: You may use the to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: References and citations should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting. Use for guidance in citing sources and formatting your paper in proper APA style. See the for more APA resources specific to your degree level.
• Number of references: Your paper should include at least four properly cited peer-reviewed articles in addition to your course text (for a total minimum of five sources). You may use additional credible published sources as needed. Do not draw content from artificial intelligence (AI). It is not a published source.
• Length: 56 double spaced pages of content in addition to the title page and reference page.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Refer to the scoring guide to ensure you meet the grading criteria for this assessment.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Apply developmental theories to explain human growth and behavior at different stages of life.
• Apply two or more developmental theories to understand an individual in a case.
• Competency 2: Analyze the influences of individual, familial, and group differences on lifespan development.
• Analyze individual, familial, cultural, or contextual factors in understanding development of an individual in a case.
• Competency 3: Apply research findings as evidence to support recommended interventions for specific developmental concerns.
• Describe a recommended intervention for an individual in a case.
• Apply research findings from two scholarly research articles to support a recommended intervention for an individual in a case.
• Competency 4: Apply professional writing and APA formatting to scholarly writing with few errors.
• Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text with appropriate tone and grammatically sound sentences.
• Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing with few errors.

RESOURCES

Use the resources linked below to help complete this assessment.

Expand AllAPA Resources

Format this assessment according to APA guidelines. Use the following resources to guide your work as needed.

• .
• .
• .

Library Research Guide

You will need to find other resources to prepare for this assessment and ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. Use the to help direct your research.

Early-Middle Childhood

Cognitive and emotional development play critical roles in healthy development. Early attachments have implications for the development of a healthy self-concept. Securely attached youngsters begin to see themselves as lovable and worthy. Chapter 4 in the text states that John Bowlby contends that attachment influences a child’s processing of information in social situations. He also claims that a child’s attachment influences the child’s functioning in social contexts, affecting what he or she learns and remembers.

The stage of cognitive development during middle childhood is often misinterpreted. Because of the increase in vocabulary and physical growth, the limitations of the concrete operational stage are not easily recognized. Many times adults view children as miniature adults, yet children in middle childhood are often incapable of thinking in logical and abstract terms, and cannot formulate hypotheses until the formal operation stage. An understanding of cognitive development and what children are capable of during the various stages is essential for educators and psychologists working with children and families.

The middle years of childhood are critical to the development of a person. Biological development continues rapidly during this stage. In addition, significant cognitive development occurs as children spend more time in educational settings. As they are exposed to more outside influences, social development also becomes prominent. Gender differentiation becomes a focus of much attention during this time.

• Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2025). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (6th ed.). Pearson Education.
• Chapter 3, Cognitive Development in the Early Years.
• Chapter 3 introduces theorists such as Piaget and Vygotsky and applies their theories to how children learn across contexts.
• Chapter 4, Emotional and Social Development in the Early Years.
• Ways in which nurturing affects emotional development and the presenting theories and processes related to the development of attachment are covered in this reading.
• Chapter 5, The Emerging Self and Socialization in the Early Years.
• This chapter reviews key points related to the development of the self-system with a focus on the impact of parenting practices on self-development.
• reading list.

Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence

The middle years of childhood are a critical period in which biological development continues rapidly. There is significant cognitive development as a child spends more time in educational settings. As the child is exposed to more outside influences, social development also becomes prominent and gender differentiation becomes a focus of much attention.

• Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2025). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (6th ed.). Pearson Education.
• Chapter 6, Realms of Cognition in Middle Childhood.
• This chapter presents recent brain-based research and Piaget’s theory of concrete operations as it relates to the development of cognition. These concepts are applied to common middle childhood topics such as technology, eyewitness technology, and immigrant families.
• Chapter 7, Self and Moral Development: Middle Childhood Through Early Adolescence.
• Self and moral development using a cross-cultural approach while considering prosocial and antisocial behavior are discussed in this chapter.
• Chapter 8, Gender and Peer Relationships: Middle Childhood Through Early Adolescence.
• Chapter 8 considers the development of gender and peer relationships, applying these concepts to recent changes in how we conceptualize gender identity and gender differences in STEM fields.
• reading list.