STUDIES The cases you are about to view all depict children aged 6. This is a transitional time in which learners can explore early childhood development and how it impacts middle childhood development. View all the case studies and select one as the focus of your assignment in unit 6. ROSA - DEVELOPMENT ACROSS CULTURES (IMMIGRANT) Rosa at age 6 is at the transition stage between early and middle childhood. Her family came to work in the U.S. as migrant workers when Rosa was a toddler. Her father had worked in the U.S. for an extended time previous to marrying Rosa's mother. As a family they continue to struggle economically. She lives with her extended family including her mother, father, maternal grandmother and two siblings. She did not participate in formal early childhood preschool experiences but was in the care of her maternal grandmother while her parents worked. Rosa has completed a year of all-day kindergarten in a southwestern state. Her family had previously made many moves, but has been in the same local area for more than a year. The primary language spoken at home is Spanish. Several issues have emerged as Rosa is making the transition to first grade. The kindergarten teacher completed a checklist/profile of Rosa's development in the areas of Cognitive, Language, Physical and Social Development. The results indicated that compared to expected development at age 6: · Rosa is not demonstrating cognitive development skills expected for her age. She struggles with early literacy concepts linked to reading and writing. · Rosa has the ability to "code-switch" in speaking Spanish or English based on the context of those in her environment. She converses with her grandmother and mother and father primarily in Spanish and with her teacher and classmates in English, although her father does speak with Rosa and her siblings in English as well as Spanish. · Rosa is small in stature. Her health history, including her prenatal records, does not indicate any significant issues. She is average in her gross and fine motor abilities. She is reluctant to engage in group physical activities. · Rosa is often observed playing near other children, immersed in her own activities. She does not appear to reach out to other children to become involved in their play. Her teacher describes her as slow to warm up in social situations. EMMA - DEVELOPMENT ACROSS FAMILY CONTEXTS (FOSTER CARE) Emma at age 6 is at the transition stage between early and middle childhood. She is bi-racial child whose mother is Caucasian and father, whom she has never met, is Filipino. Emma lived with her single mother until she was a toddler, when her maternal grandparents became her primary caregivers. This was a voluntary placement. There were no official reports of abuse or neglect on file; however the grandparents raised concerns that Emma was being neglected while in their adult daughter's care. They expressed a concern that Emma may have been left strapped into her high ch.

1. STUDIES
The cases you are about to view all depict children aged 6. This
is a transitional time in which learners can explore early
childhood development and how it impacts middle childhood
development. View all the case studies and select one as the
focus of your assignment in unit 6.
ROSA - DEVELOPMENT ACROSS CULTURES
(IMMIGRANT)
Rosa at age 6 is at the transition stage between early and middle
childhood. Her family came to work in the U.S. as migrant
workers when Rosa was a toddler. Her father had worked in the
U.S. for an extended time previous to marrying Rosa's mother.
As a family they continue to struggle economically. She lives
with her extended family including her mother, father, maternal
grandmother and two siblings. She did not participate in formal
early childhood preschool experiences but was in the care of her
maternal grandmother while her parents worked. Rosa has
completed a year of all-day kindergarten in a southwestern
state. Her family had previously made many moves, but has
been in the same local area for more than a year. The primary
language spoken at home is Spanish. Several issues have
emerged as Rosa is making the transition to first grade.
The kindergarten teacher completed a checklist/profile of Rosa's
development in the areas of Cognitive, Language, Physical and
Social Development.
The results indicated that compared to expected development at
age 6:
· Rosa is not demonstrating cognitive development skills
expected for her age. She struggles with early literacy concepts
linked to reading and writing.
· Rosa has the ability to "code-switch" in speaking Spanish or
English based on the context of those in her environment. She
converses with her grandmother and mother and father primarily

2. in Spanish and with her teacher and classmates in English,
although her father does speak with Rosa and her siblings in
English as well as Spanish.
· Rosa is small in stature. Her health history, including her
prenatal records, does not indicate any significant issues. She is
average in her gross and fine motor abilities. She is reluctant to
engage in group physical activities.
· Rosa is often observed playing near other children, immersed
in her own activities. She does not appear to reach out to other
children to become involved in their play. Her teacher describes
her as slow to warm up in social situations.
EMMA - DEVELOPMENT ACROSS FAMILY CONTEXTS
(FOSTER CARE)
Emma at age 6 is at the transition stage between early and
middle childhood. She is bi-racial child whose mother is
Caucasian and father, whom she has never met, is Filipino.
Emma lived with her single mother until she was a toddler,
when her maternal grandparents became her primary caregivers.
This was a voluntary placement. There were no official reports
of abuse or neglect on file; however the grandparents raised
concerns that Emma was being neglected while in their adult
daughter's care. They expressed a concern that Emma may have
been left strapped into her high chair for long periods of time.
Emma was enrolled in a daycare/preschool environment once
she came to live with her grandparents. The early childhood
teachers had suggested further evaluation due to Emma's
anxiety in the setting and her withdrawal from any physical
contact such as the teacher reaching to take her hand. It was not
clear from Emma's records whether early childhood intervention
occurred as the grandparents moved Emma from one early
childhood placement to another with little follow up between
those sites. Emma just completed a year of kindergarten where
developmental concerns were still evident.
The kindergarten teacher completed a checklist/profile of
Emma's development in the areas of Cognitive, Language,

3. Physical and Social Development.
The results indicated that compared to expected development at
age 6:
· Emma was able to play independently and work on fine motor
and dramatic play scenarios. She typically would verbally
describe her actions as she sorted or moved figures or play
animals. She would not reach out to other children to become
involved in her play. Teachers could engage with her as she
played; Emma, however, was firmly in charge of the direction
of play.
· Emma could not focus attention on a specific task with more
than two-step directions. A craft project demonstrated and
described by the teacher that other children her age could
complete was challenging for Emma. She would become
frustrated and walk away.
· Emma was small in stature for her age and lacked coordination
in large-motor games/activities. When playing in the gym she
would randomly kick balls or run from place to place and not
sustain a particular focus. When a ball was thrown to her she
would try to trap it against her body, but was often
unsuccessful.
· Emma has lived with her maternal grandparents for several
years. Her birth mother continues to have infrequent sustained
visits. Emma typically clings to her grandmother during those
visits and gets upset and cries when left alone with her birth
mother. Emma's grandmother and grandfather spend a lot of
time with Emma and appear to have developed a secure
relationship with her.
DANIEL - DEVELOPMENT LINKED TO AN IDENTIFIED
DIAGNOSIS (AUTISM SPECTRUM)
Daniel at age 6 is at the transition stage between early and
middle childhood. He was enrolled in an early intervention
program as a preschooler based on social and communication
deficits that suggested he could be on the autism spectrum.
Daniel appeared to benefit from early intervention and was able

4. to be included in a regular kindergarten program for half of the
day this school year. He was formally given a diagnosis on the
autism spectrum when he was enrolled in kindergarten.
He lives with his parents and younger sister in an affluent
suburb. Both parents have higher education degrees. His father
works in business and is often gone on extended business trips.
His mother stopped working as a sales manager when Daniel
was young and his developmental challenges were emerging and
his younger sister was born. His sister is developing typically at
age 3.
The kindergarten teacher completes regular checklists/profiles
of Daniel's development in the areas of Cognitive, Language,
Physical and Social Development.
The results indicated that compared to expected development at
age 6:
· Daniel struggles with attending to relevant aspects of learning
and social situations. His focus is often on seemingly irrelevant
aspects rather than the broader aspects of the task or
interaction. He can get "stuck" and perseverate on those minor
aspects.
· Daniel verbally communicates with teachers and peers. His
language is somewhat limited to getting his own needs met
rather than sustained social interaction with peers or adults. He
remains with the group during group activities, but compared to
peers is seen as less engaged. He follows the routines of the
class by lining up and sitting appropriately during small group
activities. He completes fine motor tasks well. He also
demonstrates age-appropriate gross motor skills. His father
works with him on ball playing skills, swimming and bike
riding when he has the opportunity.
· Daniel greets adults upon arriving and leaving the school
setting. His mother brings him to and from school each day. It
is not clear if Daniel could successfully ride the school bus as it
is a preference of his mother that she helps him with the
transition to school.
· Currently, the teacher is unsure of his pre-literacy skills. He

5. has some success with basic concepts such as sorting, matching,
color recognition, orientation of books. Comprehension has
been challenging to measure.
CREDITS
Subject Matter Expert:
Cheri Gilman
Interactive Design:
Tara Schiller
Instructional Designer:
Tina Houareau
Project Manager:
Nakeela Hall
Image Credits:
©iStockphoto.com/Christopher Futcher;
©iStockphoto.com/Steve Debenport
Licensed
Examining Early and Middle Childhood Development Scoring
Guide
Due Date: End of Unit 6.
Percentage of Course Grade: 25%.
CRITERIA
NON-PERFORMANCE
BASIC
PROFICIENT
DISTINGUISHED
Explain child development theories and research concepts
pertaining to the period of early to middle childhood.
20%
Does not explain child development theories and research
concepts pertaining to the period of early to middle childhood.
Identifies but does not discuss child development theories and
research concepts pertaining to the period of early to middle
childhood.
Explains child development theories and research concepts
pertaining to the period of early to middle childhood.

6. Synthesizes child development theories and research concepts
pertaining to the period of early to middle childhood with
carefully selected recent academic resources that support the
analysis.
Analyze the physical, social, emotional, or cognitive needs of a
child during the period of early to middle childhood.
20%
Does not analyze the physical, social, emotional, or cognitive
needs of a child during the period of early or middle childhood.
Identifies rather than analyzes the physical, social, emotional,
or cognitive needs of a child during the period of early or
middle childhood.
Analyzes the physical, social, emotional, or cognitive needs of a
child during the period of early or middle childhood.
Synthesizes how children develop physically, socially,
emotionally, or intellectually during the period of early or
middle childhood with carefully selected recent academic
resources that support the analysis.
Examine how the factors of family, society, and culture impact
a child's development outcomes during the period of early to
middle childhood.
20%
Does not examine how the factors of family, society, and
culture impact a child's development outcomes during the
period of early to middle childhood.
Discusses but does not examine how the factors of family,
society, and culture impact a child's development outcomes
during the period of early to middle childhood.
Examines how the factors of family, society, and culture impact
a child's development outcomes during the period of early to
middle childhood.
Examines the most influential factors of family, society, and
culture to determine how they impact child developmental
outcomes during early to middle childhood, and considers the
subsequent potential impact of these factors on a child's
continued development. Supports this analysis through the

7. integration of these factors with carefully selected recent
academic resources.
Integrate relevant examples and supporting evidence related to
early to middle childhood development.
20%
Does not integrate relevant examples and supporting evidence
related to early to middle childhood development.
Identifies but does not integrate examples and evidence related
to early to middle childhood development, or the examples and
evidence are not specific or relevant to the issues at hand.
Integrates relevant examples and supporting evidence related to
early to middle childhood development.
Synthesizes current, relevant examples and supporting evidence
related to early to middle childhood development by effectively
applying examples and literature.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and
consistent with expectations for members of the psychological
professions.
20%
Does not communicate in a manner that is scholarly,
professional, and consistent with expectations for members of
the psychological professions.
Inconsistently communicates in a manner that is scholarly,
professional, and congruent with expectations for members of
the psychological professions.
Communicates in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and
consistent with expectations for members of the psychological
professions.
Consistently communicates in a manner that is scholarly,
professional, and congruent with expectations for members of
the psychological professions, resulting in a work that is easily
readable, grammatically correct, and virtually free of errors.