Age | A Youngster's Experience | Developmental Concepts Identifying Developmental Strengths | Implications Building on Developmental Strengths |
Infancy (Birth-2) | An 8-month-old baby, Marita, has an ear infection and fever. She is in distress and cries often, reaching out for caregivers. | Marita is communicating her distress, having learned that caregivers can comfort her when she is hurt, tired, or scared. The baby's developmental strengths are her expectation that others will help her and her ability to communicate her distress. | |
Early Childhood (2-6) | A 3-year-old child, Sydney, asks questions constantly. Sydney wants to know why the sky is blue, why leaves are green, why a doll is broken, and why it is time for a nap. | Sydney has an insatiable and healthy curiosity. The child has also learned that he can engage adults in conversations by asking a series of questions. Sydney's developmental strengths are a desire for new knowledge and the possession of rudimentary conversation skills. | Answer the child's questions when you can, tell him politely when you are not able to answer his questions, and read him books and arrange other educational experiences that address his most pressing interests. |
Middle Childhood (6-10) | A group of 9-year-old boys and girls are playing football at recess. The game appears to be fun, but it is punctuated with arguments over whose turn it is to play particular positions and whether or not there has been a touchdown, the ball is in or out, or a tackle has been too rough. | | Tell the children that their football game looks like fun and that they seem to be working out their differences. Make sure that no one is bullying other children, and intervene if necessary. |
Early Adolescence (10-14) | Between classes, middle school students talk in the hallways, pass notes, and laugh. Boys and girls congregate in separate groups, eye one another, and seem to be self-conscious. | These young adolescents are learning to relate to one another in entirely new ways. Their developmental strengths are the exuberant way in which they approach peer relationships and the heightened interest they show in social networks. | Permit free talk during passing times between classes, but ask one teacher or staff member to be nearby to intervene if necessary (e.g., if youngsters are inclined to harass one another). Be a receptive listener to young adolescents who feel slighted or ridiculed by peers. |
Late Adolescence (14-18) | A group of high school students believes that school is "dumb" and that classes are boring. The students see their teachers as hypocritical and out of touch. They have some specific thoughts on how rules and classes should be changed. They decide to write a letter to the newspaper and demand that either the school be changed or they be allowed to graduate early. | These adolescents are questioning the way schools are designed. Their developmental strengths are an ability to see how the world could be different and their idealism that school could be improved dramatically. | |