Child Case Study Report

Child Case Study Report

Sandra I. Candelas
Richard J Daley College
Professor: Hunter
November 15, 2014

Child Case Study Report

Abstract

Miguel is a four year old male preschool student, who was born on June 18, 2010, and he is
currently enrolled at the Daley College Child Development Lab. Miguel is the third child of four
siblings and his mother is currently going to school to become an elementary school teacher at
the University of Illinois Chicago. Grandma helps with child care while the mother is at work or
school. Miguel has dark brown hair, brown eyes, is of dark complexion, and is of average size.
Thirty hours were dedicated to the observation of Miguels development, including physical,
emotional, cognitive, social, creative, and language. All children develop around these six
developmental domains in a predictable sequential, order, but they can vary even though children
are the same age. Environmental experiences, as well as biological influences, are some
examples that can affect development.
Developmental Domains
Emotion Domain
The emotional domain includes self-identity. At the beginning of the year, on August 25,
2014, Miguel was observed having a hard time separating from his mother. Ms. Ortega, the
teacher, had to hold him while she greeted other parents. On September 12th, while the mother
dropped Miguel off early, he kept holding moms hands and looking at her while leaning on her.
Mom kept telling him that she had to go, so Ms. Nancy, the teachers aide, stepped in and asked
Miguel if he wanted to do an activity with her. The teacher took him by her side and the mom
was able to leave. Ms. Nancy asked Miguel to look out the window and let her know when his
mom gets to the car. Miguel stood by the window and watched his mother. Every day Miguel sits

Child Case Study Report

next to Ms. Ortega during breakfast and lunch. As an illustration, August 25th, he was playing
alone with toy cars around the classroom, but kept close to Ms. Nancy.
He is able to make his own activity choices every day and seek other children to play
with, but many times something happens were he ends up playing by himself. For example, on
August 27th, he approached a child that was playing with toy animals and he began jumping over
the animals the other boy had laid on the carpet. The other student suddenly started to imitate
Miguels action. Soon, both kids were engaged in play, but the other child started to hit Miguels
animal toys with his own. Miguel said, ohhh and he squinched his face, and proceeded to play
by himself. On that same day, he was playing with a yellow truck in the block area when he
suddenly approached another child that was also playing with a similar toy and that other child
said, No! to Miguel. After the child rejected Miguel, he continued to play by himself.
Miguel was only observed once engaged in group play, playing a role confidently. On
September 11th, Miguel, Evelyn, and Mark were engaged in group play. Miguel and Mark were
cooking veggies on the pretend stove and serving the veggies onto Evelyns plate, who was
sitting on the table in the dramatic area. Miguel then reached for a pitcher and pretended to serve
a liquid onto Evelyns cup; Miguel had also placed a dog on a high chair and fed it. On the other
hand, he has a hard time standing up for his rights. There are times were he tells the teacher
about a right that has been violated and there are times where he does not tell anyone. There was
one day where he was playing on a twist like slide and when he got off he was observing other
children play. A boy named Josue approached him and hit him and Miguel told Ms. Ortega about
the incident. The teacher took both children and told Miguel to tell Josue that he did not like that
he hurt him. Miguel repeated the phrase to Josue and the other child just looked at him. On
another occasion, which was on September 11th, during large group time as Ms. Ortega

Child Case Study Report

transitioned children to the areas she had asked them to draw an emotion describing how they
felt that day on a large paper she had on the carpet. Miguel was asked by the teacher many times
to come and draw the face, and while other children were busy drawing he got down on his
knees and proceeded to draw. One of the children who was next to him pushed him so that he
would not sit by him. Miguel continued to draw, ignoring the child when all of the sudden the
other child wrote on his shirt with the marker he was holding. The teacher did not notice when
Oscar wrote on his shirt, so Miguel looked at his shirt and continued to draw. Miguel did not let
the teacher know about the incident and went to the dramatic play area.
Furthermore, Miguel does not show enthusiasm about doing things for himself. Miguel
has been observed having a serious expression during large group and free play. There are no
complaints or fussing when the teacher instructs Miguel to use the bathroom or during meal
times. He allows the teachers to comfort him during stressful times. There were two instances
where the teachers approached Miguel to comfort him. On the first day of school, which was
August 25th, Miguel was crying when his mother left and Ms. Ortega was holding him while she
greeted other parents. Miguel did not seem to have a problem with that. On September 11th, at
the playground, Miguel was riding a bike when another child approached him and grabbed his
bike and pushed Miguel. The teacher took Miguel off the bike and Isac hopped on the bike.
Miguel put his head and shoulders down. The teacher approached Miguel and hugged him.
Miguel is able to handle startling situations; for instance, August 25th, it was a very scary,
stormy day and Miguel didnt seem startled. He looked outside the window as the teacher talked
about the storms strong wind and rain. In addition, during observation hours, Miguel did not
show interest in classroom activities when it came to large group meetings. Miguel has been
observed sitting down while the whole group interacts in musicals, finger plays, readings, and

Child Case Study Report

large motor activities. As an illustration, on August 25th, Ms. Ortega was leading large group and
asked for children to stand up as she started to sing The Wheels on the Bus. Children were
singing and making facial expressions while Miguel stood still and looked around the room. Two
days later during circle time, Ms. Ortega was singing Names Are Not the Same and was going
around pointing to each child so they can say their name, and Miguel seemed reluctant. He got
up and told Ms. Nancy he needed to go to the washroom. Ms. Ortega finished group time and
transitioned children to different areas. Miguel just walked around the room pulling on his ear.
On September 11th, Ms. Ortega gave morning group and she read a story where children acted
out characters. Ms. Ortega said, Moo like the cow and children imitated the sounds. Miguel
sat still and looked at the other children act out characters from the book. Miguel has been
observed displaying this behavior throughout observations. As previously mentioned, he does
not seem to be happy most of the time. He has a serious look while in school.
Social Domain
In the social aspect of development, Miguel plays mostly by himself. He does spend a lot
of time watching others play. On August 25, at the playground, he was observed watching other
children engaged playing on the sand table. Miguel had gotten off a wheel swing and approached
the children engaged in play. Miguel also plays parallel to other children with similar toys. At the
block area he played with trucks while other children were engaged using similar toys. On
August 27th, he was observed playing parallel to another child who had a truck. As Miguel
dragged the truck he got close to the other child but the child responded with a no. Miguel kept
playing with his truck across the floor. Miguel does approach other children in a positive manner
to gain access to play, but he is rejected. For example, there were several occasions where
Miguel approached children but they rejected him. During free play Miguel was watching two

Child Case Study Report

children playing in the Lego table. As he watched the two children he started to play nearby, but
Heidi saw him and yelled out, No! Therefore, Miguel reacted by yelling no! back. On
October 2nd, he had approached Isac, who was busy building a structure at the block area. When
Miguel started to grab a block, he yelled out no! but Miguel pushed him out.
Moreover, in the aspect of social development, Miguel was only observed once engaged
in group play which was on September 11th and that was because the teacher initiated the play.
Ms. Ortega said, Why dont you guys cook food and invite the children from down stairs to
play. Miguel then placed a pot of veggies on the stove and pretended to cook. Mark, another
child, joined in and they both started to cook. Miguel served Evelyn who was sitting on the table
and Evelyn pretended to eat. Miguel was able to maintain his role throughout free play. He
continued to pour liquid onto her cup and reached out for a stuffed dog to place it on the high
chair. Miguel has not shown positive conflict resolution. As previously mentioned, on several
occasions he has been rejected. He has responded back in the same negative way the other
children have. The day that Isac was constructing at the block area and Miguel approached him,
Isac had yelled at him no!, and so Miguel pushed him down.
The prosocial development has a few categories in which preschool children go through.
Miguel was observed accomplishing all but one. Miguel has not shown concern for another child
in distress but he can tell how another feels during conflict. The fact that he had reacted
negatively when both Heidi and Isac had rejected him shows that he understands their feelings
toward him. Moreover, Miguel, is able to share with another child during a teacher guided
activity. On August 27th, Ms. Ortega was doing a cooking activity with children. As the teacher
was making the donut mix, she had children taking turns mixing in the mixing bowl and Miguel
was able to share with other children without a fuss. Also, he has been observed being kind to

Child Case Study Report

another child, as well as helping another complete a task. For instance, on October 2nd, during
cleanup, he approached Mark who was carrying many blocks and putting them away. Miguel
approached him and was helping him put the blocks away. Miguel also stood up from his chair
during breakfast time and passed the syrup to a child that was trying to reach for it. Furthermore,
Miguel has complied with teacher requests without a fuss during observational hours.
Physical Domain
The physical domain is divided into two parts, which are large motor and small motor
development. For large motor development Miguel is able to run up and down the steps
alternating feet, as well as running with control over speed during playground activities. Miguel
has also been observed jumping from equipment, as well as climbing on to it. The first day of
school which was on August 25, Ms. Nancy was helping him slide down a twist like slide and
after he was able to climb and slide down himself. The only thing that was not observed was if
he is able to move his legs, arms and feet according to rhythm. Miguel does not participate in
large group activities where this type of action takes place.
On the other hand, the small motor development had a few challenges. Miguel uses his
right hand to write. Every morning when children come in to class they are able to write their
name. Therefore, he has been observed using his right hand to write his name. He uses writing
materials with control, like on September 29th, mom gave Miguel his name tag and Miguel
started to write his name down. In addition, he does not know how to zip up his jacket. On
September 26th, Miguel said, can you help me put it on? Miguel placed his sweater together
and the teacher helped him zipper it up. He was also observed manipulating clay with control on
September 11th; he was pulling play dough apart while he placed cookie cutters. He is also able
to turn knobs with ease. To illustrate, October 2nd, he approached Gerardo who was playing with

Child Case Study Report

a sketch board and grabbed another sketch board and he started to sketch. To be able to sketch,
the knobs have to be turned and that is what Miguel was practicing. There was no observation
made where he pours water onto a pitcher because the teacher does this for the children.
Furthermore, Miguel does not participate in art activities; therefore, the use of scissors was not
observed.
Cognitive Domain
In the cognitive domain, Miguel does name objects by shape and color, just not all
shapes. On September 9th, Miguels mom grabbed a shape container and asked Miguel if he
knew the shapes. Mom grabbed the shape container and said, What shape is this? Miguel said,
Circle and what color, she said. Miguel said, Yellow, when mom asked about the square he
shrugged his shoulders and she said, Square. Miguel is also able to name sizes. During free
play on August 25th, Ms. Ortega had bear strips with manipulative color sorted bears laid out for
children. Ms. Ortega asked Miguel if the bear he had placed belonged in that picture strip. She
responded, yes, because this bear is big and yellow. Miguel sorts objects by likeness since he
does make constructions at the block area. Miguel was observed working on a construction on
August 27th, he stacked long blocks and made a construction that looked like table. He then
approached Ms. Nancy and she said, That is a beautiful table. No observations where made
where Miguel has placed objects in a series or events in a sequence nor was he observed
counting how many students are present during the day. Moreover, he is aware of his daily
schedule. After eating breakfast he goes over to large group and when transitioning to interest
areas he follows directions with minimal cueing. This particular action shows that he knows
what happens during the day. Finally, for cognitive development, he is able to build a block

Child Case Study Report

enclosure. As previously mentioned, he placed long blocks in a vertical positon and laid other
blocks to enclose his building which appeared to be a table.
Language Domain
The language domain, is divided into two categories, which are spoken language and
prewriting skills. Focusing on the spoken language, Miguel listens but does not speak during
large group activities. Miguel is able to give single word answers, as well as, short word phrases.
For example, he was able to let Ms. Ortega know that another child hit him. On August 25th, at
the playground, Josue hit Miguel and he approached Ms. Ortega and told her, Josue hit me.
Ms. Ortega told him to tell Josue I dont like that you hit me. Miguel has not been observed
chanting songs or taking part in conversation since he does not participate in large groups.
Moreover, Miguel has given short phrase responses. The previous example illustrates that he is
able to give short phrase responses. Miguel is able to ask questions. For example, on August 27th
he approached Ms. Nancy and asked her about the map at the block area. On that day he looked
at Ms. Nancy and pointed to the map and said, What is this? Ms. Nancy said, This is a map
and this is the city of Chicago where you live. There is no observation where Miguel tells a
story during group or during day activities.
Prewriting and prereading skills are part of Language development. Miguel not only
makes horizontal lines but is able to write his first and last name. On October 29th, at 8:55 am,
Miguels mom gave Miguel his name tag and Miguel said, My name. The mom said, Okay
M he wrote with his right hand and mom said, I. Miguel was able to finish his name.
Moreover, he has been observed holding books in an upright positon and turning pages from left
to right. On September 25th, after lunch, children went to the carpet area and Miguel had a book
in his hand. Miguel flipped pages from left to right and handed the book to Mr. Martinez. Mr.

Child Case Study Report

Martinez took the book and began to read the book for Miguel as he sat on the carpet. In
addition, with the previous example, Miguel shows awareness that books tell a story. On the
other hand, there were no observations made to know if he is able to pretend to read using book
pictures or retelling stories of books.
Creative Domain
In the area of art, he is able to make random marks on paper and controlled scribbles. He
was observed engaging in this particular behavior. On September 25th, Ms. Cora asked Miguel
and a group of children to come and draw at the table. Miguel brought crayons and paper and
began to draw. There were controlled lines and scribbles observed on his paper. Miguel is able to
draw faces with eyes and mouth, but has not been seen drawing arms, legs, animals or objects.
According to Beaty, in Observing Development of the Young Child, Rhoda Kellogg has seven
developmental stages in art (Beaty, 2014). Miguel falls under the human stage which is before
the pictorial stage. He is basically emerging into representational work which is right where he is
supposed to be in regards to art development.
Imagination is the last developmental domain, which seems to be emerging for Miguel.
Miguel mostly plays by himself and is able to pretend play without taking a role. During the
observations he was only seen taking a role in group play once. The play was initiated by the
teacher, on September 11th. Ms. Ortega saw him coming down the stairs from the loft and she
said, Why dont you and Evelyn cook food and invite the kids from upstairs to come and eat.
That day Miguel was placing vegetables on the stove and then handing them to Evelyn. Mark,
another classmate, joined and both children cooked for Evelyn. Miguel even pretended to pour
liquid on her cup and serve her. He grabbed a stuffed dog and placed it on the high chair. He was
able to use language in order to sustain a role and used props for imaginative play. The only

Child Case Study Report

10

thing that was not observed was his ability to create exciting packed themes. Miguel is emerging
in regards to group play, he is at Partens Associative stage, which means he plays with similar
toys that other children have, but he is not engaged in their play only in his own ideas (Beaty,
2014).
Challenges
During the observational hours it was hard to know if Miguel is able to move arms, legs,
and feet according to rhythm because he does not participate during large group activities.
Miguel does not show interest in large group activities where many things such as music, role
playing, singing, and discussions take place. He does not show interest in class activities which
includes art. Another aspect of development that was not observed was if he was able to pour his
own cup of water since the teacher would always serve him. If the teacher would allow him to do
it himself it would have changed the outcome. In regards to the usage of scissors, Miguel does
not go to the art area, he mainly remains at the block area.
Suggestions
Finally, there are a few things that can help Miguels development. His major challenge
lies in the areas of emotional and social development. Miguel still displays some level of
difficulty when mom leaves, but I dont see that as a major concern. He does need help with
standing up for his own rights. During observation I did notice how he didnt tell the teacher
when one of the kids wrote on his shirt. As a teacher I would remind the whole group that if
someone is bothering them they should talk to the teacher. Also, give him the words to stand up
for himself when he is faced in a conflict. For example, allow him to tell the other child that he

Child Case Study Report

11

didnt like what he did to him. This is also associated with being able to express anger in words
instead of actions, he has displayed acting on emotions rather than using his words.
Miguel shows no interest in large groups, during large group activities take place. Some
of these activities include singing, discussions, retelling stories, and music which cover many
areas of development. For instance, in the physical domain he doesnt participate in music and
movement so no observations were made if he was able to move through the rhythm of music. I
dont think that he is not able to dance and move according to rhythm, but I do think he doesnt
want to socialize with the rest of the group. Another example, has to do with the cognitive
domain in where no observation was made where he counts how many are present because he
shies away and doesnt want to participate. The language domain, has yet another challenge were
he doesnt participate in conversation for the same reasons. When he is called he does not
respond or neither does he sing. When the teacher sings he only looks around and looks at other
children. I dont think he is unable to do these things I just think work is needed in the social/
emotional aspect of development. As a teacher I would insist on his participation. During music
and movement I would hold his hand and allow him to dance with me, perhaps he needs to use
the teacher as a base to overcome some type of fear. Moreover, during discussions I would
choose him to answer and encourage him to respond. Furthermore, I would ask Miguel for his
favorite songs so that as a group we can all sing his song. Perhaps applying Miguels own
activities and interests will allow for him to feel more welcomed into the group as well as
opening up to other children.
Miguel also needs some help making and keeping friends. There are a few things that
teachers can do. A teacher can model and demonstrate skills needed for children to enter group
play. For example, the instructor can ask a group of children if she/he can play. Another strategy

Child Case Study Report

12

that would be helpful is the teacher initiating a theme and inviting the child in mind to play and
then gradually withdraw from the group. In regards to fine motor development, he does not go to
the art table during free play. I am not sure if it has to do with the socialization piece that he
seems to struggle but if I were the teacher I would invite him to participate more. I would let the
child know that he will resume his play after he finishes one of the art activities at the table.
Overall, if the teacher works with Miguel in the areas of social/ emotional I believe that
he can overcome whatever fears he has. It does take time and effort, and strategies that are
practiced at school should also carry onto the home. Moreover, he is a bright child and has a lot
potential; he just needs a lot of encouragement, positive reinforcement, and acceptance.

Child Case Study Report

13

References
Beaty, J. J. (2014). Observing Development of The Young Child. PEARSON.