Unit3 Peer Discussion Responses Response Guidelines Read as many of your peers' posts as time allows, and respond to at least two of them. Try to choose posts that have had the fewest responses. Your responses to other learners are expected to be substantive in nature and to reference the assigned readings, as well as other theoretical, empirical, or professional literature to support your views and writings. Use the following critique guidelines: The clarity and completeness of your peer's post. The demonstrated ability to apply theory to practice. The credibility of the references. The structure and style of the written post. Peer Discussion 1 (H. Simonds) Milestones There are a couple of methods to test Cognitive milestones. What are cognitive milestones? Cherry (2017) mentions cognitive milestones are based on a child’s ability to think, learn and solve problems. Cherry (2017) also mentions that an example of this is an infant learning how to respond to facial expressions and a preschooler learning the alphabet (Cherry 2017). There are many different cognitive skills for each age. Accoring to Broderick (2014) “Newborn-1 month facial expressions, 1-3 months is coos and grunts, 3-5 months is smiles and shows interest in favorite people, 6-7 months is babbling, 9-12 months is reaches or points to indicate desired object and responds to simple requests, 13-18 months 50 words for familiar actions, 18-24 months increases vocabulary rapidly 3 words a day, 2-3 years speaks clearly enough to be understood by family members”(Broderick 2014 p.101). These are just a few examples of cognitive skills. Testing A couple of tests for cognitive milestones are scaffolding and object permanence. Berk (2015) mentions that the potential development refers to a range of tasks that the child cannot handle doing alone just yet but can do with the help of someone who is skilled enough to do it. Think about how a sensitive you are anoter adult introduces a child to a new activity. You or another adult pick a task that the child can master but that is challenging enough that the child cannot do it by his/herself. You or another adult guides and supports, adjusting the level of support offered to fit the child’s current level of performance. As the child joins in the interaction and picks up mental strategies, her competence increases, and the adult steps back, permitting the child to take more responsibility for the task. This is a form of teaching known as scaffolding (Berk 2015 p. 222). According to Gross (2012) “One of the best-known examples of the development of sensorimotor intelligence is object permanence, Piaget’s term for infants’ gradually developing understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not in sensory or motor contact with them. Piaget tested object permanence by placing an ordinary object (his pocketwatch) under a blanket. He noted that, unless some part of the watch remained visible, Stage 3 infants typically fail ...

1. Unit3 Peer Discussion Responses
Response Guidelines
Read as many of your peers' posts as time allows, and respond
to at least two of them. Try to choose posts that have had the
fewest responses.
Your responses to other learners are expected to be substantive
in nature and to reference the assigned readings, as well as
other theoretical, empirical, or professional literature to support
your views and writings. Use the following critique guidelines:
The clarity and completeness of your peer's post.
The demonstrated ability to apply theory to practice.
The credibility of the references.
The structure and style of the written post.
Peer Discussion 1 (H. Simonds)
Milestones
There are a couple of methods to test Cognitive milestones.
What are cognitive milestones? Cherry (2017) mentions
cognitive milestones are based on a child’s ability to think,
learn and solve problems. Cherry (2017) also mentions that an
example of this is an infant learning how to respond to facial
expressions and a preschooler learning the alphabet (Cherry
2017). There are many different cognitive skills for each age.
Accoring to Broderick (2014) “Newborn-1 month facial
expressions, 1-3 months is coos and grunts, 3-5 months is
smiles and shows interest in favorite people, 6-7 months is

2. babbling, 9-12 months is reaches or points to indicate desired
object and responds to simple requests, 13-18 months 50 words
for familiar actions, 18-24 months increases vocabulary rapidly
3 words a day, 2-3 years speaks clearly enough to be understood
by family members”(Broderick 2014 p.101). These are just a
few examples of cognitive skills.
Testing
A couple of tests for cognitive milestones are scaffolding and
object permanence. Berk (2015) mentions that the potential
development refers to a range of tasks that the child cannot
handle doing alone just yet but can do with the help of someone
who is skilled enough to do it. Think about how a sensitive you
are anoter adult introduces a child to a new activity. You or
another adult pick a task that the child can master but that is
challenging enough that the child cannot do it by his/herself.
You or another adult guides and supports, adjusting the level of
support offered to fit the child’s current level of performance.
As the child joins in the interaction and picks up mental
strategies, her competence increases, and the adult steps back,
permitting the child to take more responsibility for the task.
This is a form of teaching known as scaffolding (Berk 2015 p.
222).
According to Gross (2012) “One of the best-known examples of
the development of sensorimotor intelligence is object
permanence, Piaget’s term for infants’ gradually developing
understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are
not in sensory or motor contact with them. Piaget tested object
permanence by placing an ordinary object (his pocketwatch)
under a blanket. He noted that, unless some part of the watch
remained visible, Stage 3 infants typically failed to lift up the
blanket and retrieve the hidden object”(Gross 2012 p. 204).

3. References
Berk, L. E., Meyers, A. B. (2015-03-01). Infants, Children, and
Adolescents, 8th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from
https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781323243565/
Broderick, P. C., Blewitt, P. (01/2014). Life Span, The: Human
Development for Helping Professionals, 4th Edition. [Bookshelf
Online]. Retrieved from
https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781269907422/
Gross, D. (07/2012). Infancy: Development From Birth to Age
3, 2/e Vitalsource ebook for Capella University. [Bookshelf
Online]. Retrieved from
https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781256807070/
Cherry, K. (n.d.). (12/2017) What Are the Developmental
Milestones that Children Experience? Retrieved January 24,
2018, from https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-developmental-
milestone-2795123
Peer Discussion 2 (Kenwyn)
In a sociocultural view human cognition and learning are social
and cultural rather than individual (Bahador et al., 2017). A
part of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (SCT) believes that
learning scientific concepts presented the learner with an
internal organization system for ideas and allowed the learner to
utilize those ideas more efficiently by using more advanced
thinkers. This provides novice learners with scaffolding, which
enables novice learners to reach higher levels of thinking
(Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Bahador (et al. 2017) defines
scaffolding as a dialogic process by which an open speaker aids
another in doing a function that he or she cannot carry out
without help.

4. In relating this method to education, scaffolding is a guidance
provided by a teacher or peer, with supports that reach a point
where the learner can manifest in actuality what previously only
has been seen as potential. This can be through questioning,
using cues, or prompts that encourage thinking through a
situation instead of only providing the answer (Broderick &
Blewitt). The teacher or peer would be able to confirm the
success in completing the milestone. To know if scaffolding is
successful the task must be mastered (2015), thus making the
role of the adult crucial to scaffolding (2017).
References
Broderick & Blewitt (2015). Life Span, The: Human
Development for Helping Professionals. (4th ed). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Publishing.
Bahador, Zand-Moghadam, Tabataba, & Fanaie (2017). Gender,
Sacffolding Mechanism and Output Complexity in Task-based
Language and Learning. International Journal of Implied
Linguistics & Engligh Literature. Vol 6(Issn 2200-3452).
Retrieved from
http://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/IJALEL/article/view/
2723/2325
Response Guidelines
Read as many of your peers' posts as time allows, and respond
to at least two of them. Try to choose posts that have had the
fewest responses.
Address any of the following, insofar as they are relevant:
Does the post provide a critical reflection with respect to
developmental themes?

5. Is it incomplete in any way?
Does it present links to theory or research?
Does it apply early childhood concepts and learning to an
identified specialization?
Can you enlarge upon the ideas presented or suggest
variations?
What points are particularly well made?
Peer Discussion 3 (K. Ejiogu)
Reflecting on Week 1’s study, the theme that most resonated
with me was Nature vs Nurture. According to the American
College of Pediatrics, Both nature (genetic influences) and
nurture (influences of environment, experience, and education)
affect children’s development. As an aspiring Clinical Pediatric
Neuropsychologists, it is imperative for me to acquire the
necessary understanding that revolve around child development,
and the nurture aspect of the theme comprises of a child’s day
to day interactions. Pediatric neuropsychologists have training
in both clinical psychology and neuropsychology, and a lot of
what has been covered in both week 1 & 2 share a lot of
information on cognitive development, which I find imbedded
in Neuropsychology. They use this training to evaluate and help
manage children with brain disorders, and help parents,
teachers, and physicians to understand how problems with the
brain may relate to problems seen at school, home, or with peers
(American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, 2018).
I was particularly pleased to learn the different influencing

6. factors that affect child development, as this area has been one
that I have been intrigued by, or wanted to learn more about. I
always thought that individuals were a product of their
environment, but also learning other environmental factors was
rather informative and illuminating. I have always been a
believer of the Piagetian theories because of his outstanding
reputation and contributions to psychology, and most especially
his work in child development. The study in Week 3D1, was
quite dense on his work. I can attempt to say that I feel rather
confident on the outcome of my participation I this class
because I find the studies and class work to be at the center of
my specialization and professional ambition.
Reference
AACN. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://theaacn.org/
American College of Pediatricians. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.acpeds.org/
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human
development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Boston, MA:
Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: 9780132942881.