Careers in Lifespan Development Essay Assignment Essential Elements To prepare for this assignment, you will first select a career, period of development, a developmental theory, and specific topic from the textbook. 1. In your textbook, see Chapter 1 Appendix, Careers in Lifespan Development (p. 43). From the list of careers, identify one career of interest to you. You may ask the instructor for permission to select a career not on the list if it requires knowledge of lifespan development. Unless you receive permission for a different career, you must select one from the list in the textbook. 2. Select one period of developmental (p.14) that would be encountered by a professional in the career you selected. Some careers (i.e. geriatric physician, neonatal nurse, preschool teacher) might be limited to one developmental period. Other careers may potentially work with individuals across several periods of development and you will need to choose one. Either way, you will select one of the following: infancy, early childhood, middle/late childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood. 3. From the textbook, select a topic of interest. It should be an issue that will likely be addressed by a person in the career you selected. A list of potential topics is provided below but you are not limited to those listed. This list should give you a good idea of what kinds of topics are acceptable. If you are unsure about a different topic, just ask. 4. Select at least one major theory of development. You will explain how the theory might be used to help guide you in your work with an individual in the period of development you chose. These may include Piaget, Erickson, or Bronfenbrenner. If your chosen period of development is late adulthood, you might consider activity theory, socioemotional selectivity theory, or selective optimization with compensation theory (pp. 581-583). Potential Topics This is not an exhaustive list. There are other topics in the textbook. If you are uncertain, ask the instructor. • Prenatal care • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) • Preschool/ early childhood education • Autism • Child Maltreatment • Childhood Obesity • Special Education • Learning Disabilities • ADHD • Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (identify one specific disorder) • Intellectual Disabilities • Giftedness • Childhood stress and trauma • Peer status • Bullying • Baumrind’s Parenting Styles • Gender issues • Adolescent sexual behavior • Teen pregnancy • Sex education • Substance abuse • Juvenile delinquency • Adolescent substance abuse • Adolescent depression • Sexual harassment • Sexual assault • Topics related to health in early adulthood • Topics related to sexuality in adulthood • Topic related to marriage and successful relationships • Topics related to health in middle adulthood • Retirement • Alzheimer’s d ...