Observation of a Child | Methods and Findings

Observation of a Child Methods and FindingsIntroductionThis assignment has disposed me the opportunity to facilitate the development of my research skills using expression techniques on a focus child, and gathered inclusive resources to design and implement appropriate educational program to assist and meet the development and acquire needs of the child. The real identity of the child provide non be mentioned and the any information that impart be collected in this assignment entrust be kept confidential.Case StudyBackground InformationBen is 4 old age old. He has been with the give lessons since he was three. Ben is the youngest child in the family. He stays with his p atomic number 18nts, an older brother and a disher. His brother is two years elder than him and both of them attends the same schooldays. Ben attends the to the full day program in school. Ben seldom eng ripens in brotherly interaction with his friends. He does not initiate or joins in for converge. The instructors in his class sweat to encourage through communicatory communication but he does not seem to show interest. His parents are aware of Bens development in school and they are concern about his fond skills. His mother have shared previously that Ben dis mulcts sign of Autism but she felt that it was too early to bring him for assessment. Currently, Ben attends rescue therapy session, thrice a week which he started earlier this year. Ben enjoys tactical manoeuvreing with animals and outdoor play. There are twenty quintuple children in Bens class, together with the broadcast Specialist, an English Teacher and a Chinese Teacher.Literature ReviewSocial development depends on individuals acquisition of the many behaviors that helped one to be able to live in the society with their family and friends (Allen Cowdery, 2012). Planning for effective actions for improving early accessible behaviour in autism has been identified as a life-sustaining need for research due to the early signs of the symptoms and their conjectured role in their development (Cunningham, 2012). This does not only apply to this learning need, nevertheless, it applies to anyone who needs to receive additional endorse in social behaviour skill. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) faced challenges with social communication and play skills and these are the mall features of the disorder (Dykstra, Boyd, Watson, Crais, Baranek, 2012).According to Bruner, early social-communication buns be theorized into three related communicative functions social interaction, behaviour regulation and joint attention (Dykstra et al., 2012). Children with ASD will display deficiencies in these areas compared to typically developing children (Dykstra et al., 2012). Similarly, children with ASD show differences in quality and quantity of play when compared to typically developing children (Dykstra et al., 2012). In addition, research has proven that both social-communication and play ski lls plays an important role in developing actors line and social interaction skills (Dykstra et al., 2012).Evidence advises that social, stirred and behaviour problems will rise if the children did not receive any early intervention (Webster-Stratton, Reid, 2004). Guiding social and emotional skills to children who are at risk can lead to better behaviour in the child, inclusion with prosocial peer groups and achievement in academic (Webster-Stratton, Reid, 2004).To achieve these outcomes, the preschool age would be an appropriate time for the children to receive early intervention to facilitate social competence and reduce any inappropriate behaviour before it becomes a permanent patter (Webster-Stratton, Reid, 2004). Parents involvement in their childs education affects their social competence. Children are likely able to handle their self-regulation and respond appropriately when their parents are emotionally positive and attend to prosocial behaviours (Webster-Stratton, Re id, 2004).Approaches to ObservationBefore I commence on my observations, I went around asking the teachers in school about Ben. I remained unbiased towards any opinions about him during my enquiring. I also look through his previous years portfolio to find out his abilities in physical, cognitive, emotional and social domains. With the raw data which I have collected, I decided to observe Bens self-help skills and his social skills.In all, I payed four observations. I was a non-participant in observation A and B, whilst for observations C and D I was a participant in observations. Whether I am a non-participant or a participant in my observations, the amount of involvement will vary substantial (Sociology Guide, 2014). Thus, I tried to balance my observations as a participant and non-participant to ensure that the data collected is true. The observation testifys are as follows28 February 2014Observation A was made in the morning during Circle Time in the classroom. Their teacher w as reading a accounting to the class, followed by a phonics activity. The duration of the observations was forty-five minutes. anecdotical record was used.6 treat 2014Observation B was made during their creative play and it lasted for thirty five minutes. In this observation, I used running record to observe Ben. On the same day, his shower routine is being observed for thirty minutes.7 March 2014Observation C was done during arrival and Piazza time where children gathered in the piazza to engage play with other children from all levels. It lasted for thirty minutes. Anecdotal record was used.12 March 2014Observation D was conducted during shower time in the toilet for near thirty minutes. I was figured during the routine and anecdotal record was used.Ethical Procedures FollowedFirstly, I seek approval from my Centre Director to allow me to conduct my research in Bens class. I shared briefly explained to her the manipulation of this research. She confirmed the approval by acknow ledging the application form. As Ben is not from my class, I need to seek consent from his class teacher through my Centre Director. later on confirmation, she arranges a meet up with the Curriculum Specialist in the class and I furthered shared with them on how I am going to use and conduct my observations. To avoid any disruptions in their class activities, I informed them the dates and the activities that I will be coming in to observe Ben. Through this meet up, we advertise a climate of openness and transparency, support and co-operate in the provision and best interest of all participants (Association for beforehand(predicate) Childhood Educators capital of Singapore, n.d.).During the process of consulting the parents for consensus, the class teachers advise me that she will speak to the parent on my behalf first. This is because they have built up relationships and I may not be familiar with the parents. When Bens parents have agreed to participate in this research, I furthe red explained to them the procedures that I will be taking and at any point of time, they can choose not to allow Ben to participate and they can withdraw the research at any point of time. Both teachers and parents have also been notified that the confidentiality of information will be kept disclosed.Due to shortage of manpower, I have been helping Bens class for a few weeks prior to this research task. This has facilitated me to be more familiar with the children. As a professional educator, I respect childrens rights. Smith (2007) suggested that rights are acknowledged as cultural constructions about the essential entitlements for children (p.3). Early childhood researchers in the world are really supportive of respecting childrens voices and opinions to be heard (Conroy Harcourt, 2009). In Association for Early Childhood Educators Singapore (AECES), it is mentioned educators should recognize the individuality of every child and having their rights to express their thoughts is vital (AECES, n.d.).Thus, I will inform the children the research that I will be conducting and seek informed assent from the children. Every response from them will be wanted in my study.How Data were AnalysedThe observations were analyzed based on thematic compendium. Thematic analysis emphasizes on patterns of behaviour or classifiable themes (Aronson, 1994). Thematic analysis provides core skills that will be an advantage for conducting qualitative analysis (Braun Clarke, 2006). To be able to post the themes, I looked through the data and grouped the recurring patterns together.First of all, I gathered all data and identify all relevant information and relate to the repeated pattern. For an example, I make a list of actions or actors line which Ben has exhibited such as plays alone, walks away from friends or does not engage in play with friends. Then I began to combine and list the related patterns into themes. These themes will be supported by related literature to constr uct a valid argument (Aronson, 1994).In addition, I also looked at the learning goals in the Kindergarten Curriculum Framework produced by Ministry of nurture in Singapore to see if Ben is able to achieve the learning goals. This curriculum framework provides me a guide on milestones based on the age ranging from four years old to six years old.Findings Showing Areas of Additional Education and Developmental NeedsBased on the observation data gathered, Ben has shown developmental needs in these two themes Self-help Skills Dressing Up and Lack of Social Interaction in Play.Self-help Skills Dressing UpFrom my observations B and D, Ben seems to have difficulty in putting on his t-shirt and shorts after shower. His teacher will put on his diaper for him and thereafter his teacher will ask him to put on his pants. On the two occasions, Bens both legs were stuck on one side of the pants. He displays frustration when he could not achieve the task. When he faces desperation, he shouted, help When putting on his t-shirt, he will bring the t-shirt to his teacher and said, Please? Before shower, Ben needs help to undress his uniform with assistance and minimal assistance is needed when he removes his pants.Establishing self-help skills such as salad dressing, feeding or personal hygiene leads to greater independence. This is a goal which all children, especially for children with disability who need to learn to live independently (Allen Cowdery, 2012). Self-helps skills can also intersect with the learning areas such as social skills and cognitive skills (Technical Assistance and Training System, 2010).Based on guidelines given by Cook, Klein Tessier (2008) children are able to undress without help at two to three years old. Even though we do refer age appropriateness in childrens development, we similarly have to look at individual appropriateness of the child. case-by-case appropriateness discusses how the each childs develop based on their ways of learning, per sonality, physical growth, family background and culture ((Technical Assistance and Training System, 2010).With Bens on-going speech therapy sessions, he certainly has shown improvement on his communication, based on the data I gathered from my observations on Ben and my conversations with the teachers I have queried.To assist Ben with his dressing up skills, I will implement forward chaining technique to help Ben in his dressing up skills. The dressing up task will be broken down into simple manageable standards. Ben will only move on to the second step only if he has accomplished the first step of putting on pants.Lack of Social Interaction in PlayFrom Observation C, Ben was observed to be engaged in solitary play. When he arrived, he dropped his bag at the entrance of the door and walked straight to the shelf where animals figurines were placed. He took two tiger figurines and began to play. I walked over and asked him what the tigers are doing. He replied, Walking. and he go on to walk around the piazza and attempted to imitate the movement of a tiger. In Observation B, the children in Bens were engaged in creative play where they were free to choose a corner to play. Ben picked the blocks corner and sat down to play. He was also observed in playing by himself, even though his friends are near him. He displays little social interaction with his friends during playtime.According to Jerome Bruner, he emphasized the social environment as nature of learning in which adults should help a child to develop skills through the process of scaffolding (McLeod, 2012). Likewise in Vygotskys theory, the growth of a child derives from the interactions between children and their social environment (Tools of the Mind, 2013). Thus, it is critical for Ben to be engaged in social interaction with his peers to scaffolding his learning in other areas. Social skills influence other learning areas of development and vice versa (Allen Cowdery, 2012). Thus, it is critical for B en to acquire social skills. This is a skill which cannot be forced as it is an on-going learning journey throughout a lifespan. To bring up social interactions for Ben, some strategies can be plan and implemented for Ben in an inclusive education environment. This will be discussed further in the Individual Education Plan (IEP).Individual Education PlanChild NameBenChildcare/KindergartenThe Global PreschoolDate of birth3 March 2010Year Level4Date of Plan17 March 2014Any services currently working with the child eg PhysiotherapistBen is currently working with a speech therapist. He attends the session three times a week.Recourses/ProgramNo program at the momentPurposeFunding sourceNo Funding allude Person Phone NumberLength of AvailabilityUnderstanding the childChilds skills, strengths, preferences, abilities and motivationsBen likes to go for outdoor play. He likes to go to the playground and play tricycle. He likes to play with animal figurines and he is able to name the animals .Academic progress of the childBen is able to identify the letters of the alphabet and able to identify words associated with the letter. He is able to count from 1 20.Social skills and relationships of the childHe also displays minimal social interaction with peers. However, Ben enjoys receiving hugs from his teachers.Nature of attendance and combatBens attendance is regular and he seldom missed the lessons unless he goes for his speech therapy. Ben displays difficulty in engaging play with his friends.Education Plan refinementsBarriers to achieving GoalStrengths related to GoalStrategies to achieve GoalActions and Time-lineTo be able to dress himself mainly shorts and t-shirt with minimal assistanceBen may display frustrations or tantrums and might be distracted from the environmentBen likes to observe what his peers are doing and this may help him to achieve the goal.Breaking the stages into smaller and attainable steps for Ben through verbal communication.The teachers have bee n communicated on the steps for Ben to achieve. This will be consistent so in order Ben to receive the same information even if a dissimilar teacher helps with the routine.Time line Three monthsTo be engage in play with his friend.Ben prefers to play alone.He usually walks away from his friends.Ben will engage in play with his friends when they are playing animals.Engage a buddy for Ben. Ben will be with his buddy during play time.Teachers have to keep on encouraging and inviting Ben to play with his friends.Time line Four monthsReview dateAugust 2014Reference ListAllen, K. E., Cowdery, G. E. (2012). The exceptional child Inclusion in early childhood education. (7 ed.). Singapore Cengage Learning.Aronson, J. (1994). A pragmatic view of thematic analysis. The qualitative report, 2(1), 1-3.Association for Early Childhood Educators (Singapore. (n.d.). Guidelines for professional responsibilities in early childhood education. Retrieved from http//www.aeces.org/files/pdf/coe.pdfBraun, V., Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.Cook, R.E., Klein, M.D., Tessier, A. (2008). Adapting early childhood curricula for children with special needs (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Prentice HallConroy, H. Harcourt, D. (2009). aware agreement to participate beginning the partnership with children in research. Early Child Development and Care,179(2), 157-165.Cunningham, A. B. (2012). Measuring change in social interaction skills of young children with autism. ledger of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(4), 593-605.Dykstra, J. R., Boyd, B. A., Watson, L. R., Crais, E. R., Baranek, G. T. (2012). The impact of the Advancing Social-communication And Play (ASAP) intervention on preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 16(1), 27-44.McLeod, S. (2012). Bruner. Retrieved from http//www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.htmlSmith, A. (2007).Childrens rights and early childhood education Links to theory and advocacy. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 32(3), 1-7.Sociology Guide. (2014). Observation Participant and non-participant. Retrieved from http//www.sociologyguide.com/research-methodsstatistics/observation.phpTechnical Assistance and Training System. (2010). Developmentally appropriate practice adaptive/self-help skills. Retrieved from http//www.tats.ucf.edu/docs/eUpdates/Curriculum-14.pdfTools of the Mind. (2013). Vygotskian approach. Retrieved from http//www.toolsofthemind.org/philosophy/vygotskian-approach/Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, M. J. (2004). Strengthening social and emotional competence in young children-The foundation for early school readiness and success Incredible Years classroom social skills and problem-solving curriculum. Infants Young Children, 17(2), 96-113.AppendicesAppendix 1Appendix 2Appendix 3Name Loo Si Hui Student ID 25687514 Page 1