Psyc 210 Case Study

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Case Study i Case Study: 6 Year Old Student PSYC 210 The child in this situation was in ‘early childhood’. Early childhood is described as being between 2 and 6 years old. This is a crucial period for child development. Children are extremely vulnerable during this time frame. There are several development factors that support the legal decision in this scenario. During early childhood, children are learning social skills and developing morals. Although brain maturation is partly due to genetics, parental attributes such as guidance and understanding also have a large influence. Children are often molded by what they see, and they think it is the normal way of doing things. This story clearly points out this child’s father and grandfather were in prison for gun related charges. There also was a 19 year old in his household with a stolen gun. There also were drugs in the household. This shows the child was in the type of environment where guns were normal and used for various reasons. Children of this age tend to be very impulsive. Their brains have not yet reached a balance. This is due to the “immaturity of the prefrontal cortex” [ (Berger, 2011) ]. This can lead children to make decisions without thinking about them fully or considering the consequences that could take place. At this time period children do not have the capability to use reason. Parenting style has a major impact on children and their temperament. Neglectful, uninvolved parenting can lead to children feeling sad and lonely [ (Berger, 2011) ]. Child abuse is defined as “deliberate action that is harmful to a child’s physical, emotional, or sexual well-being” [ (Berger, 2011) ]. Two warning signs of child abuse or child maltreatment are hostility toward others and impulsive reactions. This child displayed both of these signs; likely this child had already experienced some form of

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